Love Me, Already!
by a passerby
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura are now young adults in Konoha. The two strong and powerful shinobi butt heads and their tempers flare, but will they ever embrace each other and realize they're meant to be? SasuSaku. Implied ShikaIno, NejiTen & NaruHina.
1. Sakura's Morning

Love Me, Already! Rated M for intense adult situations in later chapters. It may sound girly and simplistic now, but the plot thickens. Nothing should be too simple when chaos is more fun!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or their likeness in any part of this story.

Chapter 1: Sakura wakes up in a typical fashion. It's a wonderful day in the Spring, which is a beautiful time for Konoha. She doesn't have a shift at the hospital and has a special evening planned with a certain someone. . .

* * *

*BUZZ*

Sakura looked at the clock. "Ugh," she groaned. It was only 5:30 a.m. She knew she would be the first one at the training grounds. Why bother? Sakura rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, rubbing the smooth skin of her cheek. She knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now. Even if she could drift off, she wouldn't get much rest this close to dawn.

Sakura sighed and rolled onto her side again to manage sitting up. Sakura lifted her arms in the air while allowing the soft ivory sheets to pool around her waist. She stretched her arms wide over her head and back behind her as far as she could reach. 'Ooh, stiff muscles. I'll need to stretch well when I get there,' she thought. Then Sakura twisted her legs out from under her to dangle over the edge of the mattress. Sakura straightened the spaghetti straps of her simple cotton white and red pajama outfit, complete with matching boyshorts. When her toes touched the floor, she admired the wonderful job they did at the salon yesterday. It's a good thing she didn't have a shift at the hospital tonight, or else this would be ruined from all the fancy footwork she does while running around. She was thankful Ino-pig decided to treat her to the salon as a present for finally going on a date with Kiba tonight. 'Oh gosh, I totally forgot!' She jerked herself out of bed at that thought.

"Ooph!" Sakura quickly hit the chilly hardwood floor with a thud. "Owie." Since the cool floor felt nice, she leaned back and decided to lie there for a moment, her silky pink shoulder-length hair spilling out over the cherry red bedside rug. She then felt a shiver. 'Must be the cold floor.' Why couldn't she have fallen on the fluffy red rug?

While on the floor, Sakura noticed her cell phone was trying to tell her something. She sat up and looked. She had a text message. She pulled herself up to her knees and grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand. She didn't have a missed call. 'Strange,' she thought. 'But maybe someone was courteous enough to just opt for a text insteead of waking my butt up in the middle of the night. But what was so important at. . .1:53 in the morning?'

_"Hey, Sakura? It's me. I need a huge favor. Call me in the morning, before practice. I don't want the others to overhear." _It was Naruto._  
_

"Huh? Do I even want to know? What could I possibly help that dumb blonde with?" Sakura shrugged it off and dialed his number. He sounded distracted, and it didn't even sound like he was eating while talking. But what could Naruto need her help with? Of course she'll help one of her closest friends. She and Naruto were like siblings. They love each other - platonically - and always have each others' backs. And they fight like siblings. And, believe it or not, he was usually more dependable than even Ino-pig.

Sakura was going over to Ino's house after practice to help prepare for her romantic evening, so she walked over to her dresser to take out her workout gear and extra clothes for Ino's.

*ring*

". . . ."

*ring*

". . . ."

*ring*

"Grr. . ." *sweat drop*

*ring*

"Damnit, Naruto!" Sakura threw down the bag in which she was placing a pair of shorts. Unfortunately for Naruto, he decided to pick up at that moment. He was greeted with Sakura's booming voice.

"Ahh! Sakura! What the hell! It's almost 6:00 in the morning! Why are you yelling at me!"

A frustrated Sakura picked up the abused bag and set it on top of her black wooden vanity, sitting next to her dresser. "You told me to call you, Dobe."

"Oh, right! He." Naruto let out a nervous chuckle. "Sorry. Listen, I need your help with something."

"Why me? Can't you ask Sasuke or Sai for help?"

"Um, not with this. It's. . a little embarrassing. Teme may help, but not before making fun of me. Sai wouldn't understand, anyway. He'd just ask a bunch of questions or something."

This was getting a little interesting. Embarrassing, huh? "What about Kaka-sensei?"

"No! I mean. . .I don't think so. He wouldn't be very helpful. That pervert won't do."

Sakura groaned. "Well, what is it? Is it even something serious?"

"Heck yeah!" Sakura could imagine his fist pumped into the air. She didn't even have to see it to know. It's a bit childish now, not to mention it's ridiculous. Even when we're talking about Naruto.

"What? Tell me. You're getting very annoying." Sakura folded a tank top into the bag and zipped it up. She put sandals in another compartment. Then she walked over to her closet to take out a very special dress with a price tag still attached. It was no small number on that tag, believe me. The dry cleaning bag rustled when Sakura brushed it against a chair.

"Well, there's a little problem I've been having." She could easily tell his voice was getting softer. He must be very embarrassed to even be asking her for help with this.

"Uh huh. . .spit it out, Naruto. This had better not be perverted or anything involving your body."

"No! Gross! Well, you see. . . there's this girl that I like, and I'm not sure how to ask her out. Can you help me?"

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. "Naruto, are you serious?"

Silence. Then a meek response. "Yeah. Please?"

"Who is it?"

"Umm. . .Hinata." Naruto thought he heard crickets chirping. Then Sakura let out a gasp and reacted.

"Whoo! Finally! In all my nineteen years, I can't believe you'd finally get it! Naruto, you wouldn't believe how long we've been waiting to hear you say that!" Sakura did a little victory dance for one of her best friends.

"We? Have you noticed that easily? Everybody knew?"

"Uh, duh! She's been, like, in love with you for a long time, Dobe! Wake up and smell the coffee! Ooh, coffee sounds fantastic right now!" Sakura placed a little travel bag of her pre-selected jewelry in the gym bag and ran down her hallway to the kitchen. She tripped on the hallway rug and slid on the sand-colored tile in the kitchen, sending her into the kitchen island. "Another owie."

"You've got to be kidding me, Sakura."

"No! I fell out of bed this morning and busted my a. . ."

"Not that! I know you're a klutz! I was talking about Hinata! She's in love with me?"

"Uh. . .yeah. Pretty obvious." Sakura sweat-dropped. She propped her elbows up on the smoky granite countertop and leaned over it for support.

"Man, I can't believe it! This is totally awesome! I thought_ I_ was obvious! Yesterday I ran into her at the mall and stopped to talk to her. She must've been surprised to see me, because she stuttered. I hope I didn't scare her. I was being a total spaz. Anyway, she was shopping with TenTen. The hair bun-girl looked at me like I was stupid, for some reason. So I couldn't ask her out right in front of TenTen. I just said bye and watched her walk away. I turned around and stumbled over a bench because I was still mesmerized! I flew throught he air and right onto the floor! She heard the commotion and saw it was me! She ran over to help me up, but a guy helped me up already. She saw everything. Complete disaster. It was totally embarrassing."

"Oh, Naruto. It's such a stretch to think you're ever embarrassing." *chuckle*

"Hey! Shut up! Are you going to help me or not?"

"Sure, why not? Come over to Ino's with me after practice. We'll help. I think you need it."

"Okay, thanks. I owe you big time for this."

"I know you do! See you in an hour. Bye." Sakura smiled. 'This is so sweet! Finally. Naruto and Hinata, together at last. I have to call TenTen when I get to Ino's!'

"Bye." Naruto hung up the phone.

Sakura placed her cell phone on the counter and strolled over to the refrigerator to fetch some eggs and turkey bacon. 'I think I need a healthy meal before practice,' she thought. 'And I'm starving.' She began cooking something delicious, ate her breakfast on a bar stool, and placed her dishes in the sink. Then she made it back to her bedroom to dress in her workout gear and made ready to head out. She pulled her hair back in a messy ponytail and didn't bother with much makeup, save for some powder foundation with a little bit of UV protection. 'Ino will have all the makeup I can handle,' she surmised. She gathered all her stuff, happy to have chosen a rolling duffel bag, and walked out of her apartment. Not once this morning did she notice a pair of eyes following her every movement.


	2. Secret Admirer

Chapter 2: Sakura is unaware that she has a Peeping Tom. . .

* * *

The handsome raven-haired man sat in a tree outside Sakura's apartment, fixated on the gorgeous girl sleeping not but five or six feet from him. Sasuke was very good at hiding his chakra, so there's no way his cherry blossom could sense him, even in this close vicinity. He wished he could open the window and crawl through the room, and right into her bed. 'That would be quite the fantasy,' he thought. Sasuke paid attention now that the object of his hidden affections stirred. She reached over to shut off that annoying alarm clock. 'If I were in there, this alarm clock would be no more. We'd lie in bed together all day, wrapped in those ivory sheets.' Sakura rolled onto her back, her tight pajama top giving Sasuke a nice view. He practically salivated at the sight of all the bare skin this scant top showed. Sakura caressed her beautiful porcelain cheek with her gentle hand and sat up. Then she stretched, which Sasuke watched closely. This was his favorite part. She put on a show just for him. He admired her flexibility. She began to sit up. She looked to be contemplating something. Sakura then jolted in her bed, sending her crashing to the floor. Sasuke sweat-dropped.

Sasuke did not miss the tight and revealing boyshorts that matched her top. There she was, an absolutely gorgeous kunoichi and the object of his newfound affections. She was just splayed on the floor in such an enticing position. He stared at her so intensely that he could've sworn she shivered just by his gaze. 'I could scoop her up right now and. . .' He noticed her walking towards the window and backed further into the branches of the tree outside her bedroom window, afraid she might have noticed him or will see him any second. His life as he knew it would be over if she found him stalking her. 'Stalking. Wow. That's what I'm doing, isn't it?' Sasuke quickly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sakura had simply grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand in front of the window. 'Who'd be calling her this early in the morning?'

After seeing the irritated look on her face, he knew it had to be Dobe. He watched her get ready for the day while talking with Naruto. But Sakura stopped in her tracks. She stood still, which was uncharacteristic for the girl. Obviously, Naruto dropped a bombshell. Then he saw something that totally made his day. In her little bare outfit, Sakura jumped up and down, then did this quirky but unexpectedly sexy dance in the middle of her bedroom. Her hips swayed in an unimaginable rhythm, and Sasuke wished he could be wrapped around her right now. He wanted to make her move rhythmically. Sasuke had to tilt his head back to stop a nosebleed at the combination of this view and his dirty thoughts.

By the time Sasuke's nose stopped bleeding, Sakura was running down her hallway. Sasuke jumped to another branch to look through a smaller window. He saw her trip on the hallway rug. Typical Sakura. Another sweat-drop. Sasuke knew she must be going to the kitchen. He jumped to the tree on the other side of her bedroom to her balcony, in the back. There, through the glass door with ivory and blue curtains, he saw another amazing sight. Sakura was bent over the kitchen island, with her barely clothed rear in full view of his swirling red eyes. Sakura's rear end wasn't the only thing accidentally raised in the air, so Sasuke thought it would be best to return to the Uchiha mansion and prepare himself for morning practice. First thing, a cold shower. . .


	3. Seeing Stars

Chapter 3: Sakura's mind is elsewhere, and it shows. Sasuke and Sakura share a few choice words, and tempers flare. Sasuke's secret pining for Sakura hasn't let up at all, though. But has Sakura's attraction to Sasuke faded?

* * *

Sakura landed another blow to Naruto, knocking him backwards at least 50 feet.

"That's enough for today, you two." Kakashi had raised his hand to halt the match. They had caused enough damage to the training grounds for one day. Sasuke had already sparred with both Naruto and Kakashi, so he was on the sidelines. Sai has yet to return from an S-Class mission. They weren't privy to the details. So poor Naruto is pretty much a punching bag for today.

Sasuke secretly watched Sakura very closely, admiring her brute strength, but also her grace and poise. She seemed a little off, or distracted. He's watched her at every recent practice. He was actually amazed at how much stronger she had become in these past few years. She's grown into a beautiful and powerful young kunoichi. At this rate, Sakura was sure to make ANBU before she turns 25. He, of course, plans to make ANBU before his 21st birthday. 'Not a bad choice for a new Uchiha lineage,' Sasuke pondered. 'Wait. What am I thinking? Am I going crazy here?' He kept his usual stoic face as Sakura walked back up to Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Sakura, you need to work on your timing. You hesitated several times today when you know you shouldn't have. You looked like you were taking it easy on Naruto, but we both know you never do that."

"I know, Kakashi-sensei. I don't have a very good excuse. You see. . ."

"Yes, Sakura?"

"I didn't want to cause myself too much damage today, so I was hesitating to be careful. I just got a mani-pedi yesterday."

Sasuke scoffed at her. "Annoying." Sakura looked at him like he had just spit in her face.

"Sakura, that's not a very good excuse. That's not like you. Why on earth did you feel that something like that was worth ruining practice today?"

"Well, Kakashi-sensei, I kinda. . .have plans tonight."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and said, "Hn."

Sakura's eyes darted back up to the tall, handsome, god-like young man to her left. "What? Did you have something to say? Or is your usual grunt all you have to add to the conversation?" She could already feel her temper flare up. She wasn't so weak to his criticisms anymore, and felt that he had enough room to improve on his own that he shouldn't be so critical of her anymore. She knew he had barely escaped with his life when he battled Itachi. He did kill him once and for all, so she had respect for his strength. But he still had a ways to go to control himself. 'With my fighting and healing skills, I'm undoubtedly an integral part of team 7, dammit! When will he see me as someone of real worth?'

"As a matter of fact, I do. You could have jeopardized your life and the lives of your teammates because you were afraid of breaking a nail. You didn't take this practice seriously, and our entire team is weaker for it. We weren't as important as whatever girls' night out you were planning with your friends." Sasuke glared at her to tell her he was disappointed and annoyed.

Sakura looked right back at him, determined not to let him see her flinch at his harsh words. But that was harsh and blunt. Typical Uchiha. 'He knows this isn't a real battle,' she thought. 'He shouldn't be so serious. We haven't even had much trouble from the Akatsuki since Itachi died. It's been peaceful.'

"The girls and I aren't going out tonight. I am. I have a date." Sakura gave him a matter-of-fact tone and a look that told him to back off. Then she walked away to help Naruto pick all the leaves and twigs out of his hair.

"That was very judgmental, but a good observation, Sasuke. And Naruto. . .never mind. I don't want to know. I'll see you three next practice, when Sai will be returning from his mission." Kakashi didn't even want to know about Naruto's romantic plans for the evening. Even the village pervert has boundaries he doesn't want to cross. He could see the stars shining in the lovestruck boy's eyes. 'If fools fall in love, then Naruto must already be head over heels. This should be interesting.' Kakashi then poofed away from the training grounds, smut in hand.

Sasuke remained in the same place, as stoic as ever. But his mind was reeling. 'A date? What? With who? This can't be happening! Who would dare ask my Sakura out on a date? Wait. Mine? What am I saying?' Sasuke decided to find out who Sakura was going on a date with tonight. Naruto would spill the beans over a few steaming bowls of ramen.

"Naruto!" Sakura called behind her as she picked up her items and began walking. "Don't forget! Meet me over there!"

'Now she's meeting Naruto somewhere today? All this is making my head swirl more than the Sharingan.' Sasuke waited for Sakura to turn her back before he walked over to the now-filthy blonde.

"Okay, Sakura! Just let me go home and shower first! I'll be over there soon!"

Sasuke jumped at his chance to get to the bottom of this. "Dobe."

"What is it, Teme?" Naruto rolled his shoulders and grabbed one when it caused a good bit of pain. "Ow! She hits hard!"

"I'm hungry. Want to join me for some ramen? I'll buy."

Naruto immediately dropped his sore shoulder to pump his fist into the air. "Hell yeah!"

'Hn. Let's see what my little cherry blossom is up to tonight. She seems excited. Who has her practically seeing stars? It should be me. Doesn't she still see stars when she's with me? We'll see.' Sasuke and a dirty, damaged Naruto began walking to Ichiraku's.


	4. Big Plans

Chapter 4: Sakura and Ino begin to prepare for Sakura's big night. Meanwhile, two young shinobi at a ramen stand decide they need girlfriends.

* * *

Sakura walked up to Ino's cute little blue front door and rang the doorbell on the gray stone facade. As she stood there for those few seconds, she admired Ino's cute house. Ino's home near the family shop is a beautiful cottage-style split-level home with gray stone and beautiful blue and white trim. As expected, it has a beautiful garden out front with bright perennials and evergreen landscaping. Two windows facing the front had flower boxes containing tulips in a variety of mixed colors. She couldn't see it from the front door, but Sakura knew there was a whitewashed trellis around the side with jasmine crawling up. The fragrance is heavenly. The young Yamanaka home's curb appeal was cheery and beautiful, much like the homeowner.

"Hold on! Troublesome. . ."

"Hey Shikamaru! It's me!"

Shikamaru opened the door to his girlfriend's little house to let the pink-haired kunoichi in.

"Hey. You look gross." Shikamaru stared at the sweaty and filthy girl like she might have a disease.

Sakura's vein bulged out of irritation. "Thank you, Shika. Let me in." 'Remind me why my friend is in love with you? You certainly aren't a charmer.'

Shikamaru stepped aside while Sakura barged in with her bag. "Don't tell me you're having a sleepover. Troublesome."

"No, I'm changing into clean clothes after a shower. I have a date tonight. Ino's helping me get ready."

"Billboard-brow! Don't let that vein of yours bulge out. It looks like a neon sign on your gigantic forehead!" Ino ran down the stairs to her best friend. "What took you so long?"

"I took the long way here. I didn't really want to be seen in this state." Poor Sakura was covered head-to-toe in dirt. She had some scrapes and a nice welt on her forearm, but nothing a medical expert like the Hokage's apprentice couldn't fix in mere seconds. When her chakra level returned to a better level, she'll be good as new. The caked-on grime is another story.

"Can't blame you. Did you bring the dress?"

"Check."

"Shoes?"

"Check."

"Jewelry?"

"Check?"

"The correct lingerie?"

"Troublesome." The girls noticed the tall spiky-haired genius was still standing there. Not a smart idea, genius.

"Sweetie, go in the backyard and take a nap in a patio chair." The silky blond-haired girl lowered her threatening fist and turned her ironic sing-song voice back to Sakura. "Did you bring them?"

"Yes! Let me take a shower now. I feel disgusting."

"Go. Run! Now! You smell! Then we'll begin!" Ino twiddled her fingers and grinned like a maniac with diabolic plans for her friend.

Sakura lunged up the stairs towards the loft-style master bedroom, where she knew Ino would have an assortment of bubbly and exfoliating shower products. She was right.

* * *

Sasuke ordered another bowl of ramen for himself, and the fourth bowl for Naruto. They haven't talked much about anything yet, mainly due to Naruto stuffing his mouth with food. For once, Sasuke wanted his mouth to flap so he would spill the beans on Sakura's plans tonight.

"Hey. I heard you were meeting Sakura somewhere."

*Slurp!* "Oh, right! I almost forgot! I need to take a shower and get over to Ino's!"

"Yamanaka? Why are you going over there?" 'Why deal with that annoying bitch?'

"Well. . .Sakura and Ino are helping me with something. Sakura's getting ready for her date over there, so she told me to come over this afternoon."

"Hn." Sasuke paused, trying to find an easy way to ask about Sakura's date without acting too suspicious. "Sakura needed to take a shower after practice today. She made a mess of things."

"She made a mess of me, you mean!"

"Hn. Yes, she did. Well, maybe her date doesn't mind." Now he's searching for a clue, hoping Naruto will drop a name.

"I think anyone would mind dating a stinky girl."

'Dobe. You're just an idiot.' "Hn."

"Besides, Sakura already knows Kiba's taking her out to a fancy restaurant tonight. She's getting really dressed up. That's why she needed Ino's help, Teme. Girls use a team of other girls to help them get ready for this stuff. At least, I think they do. Team effort, right?"

'Kiba? Dog-boy? With those perverted hands of his, he'll be caressing my Sakura? And those good looks, that great physique and. . .shit. Competition. I was silently hoping it was Rock Lee.' "Hn. I don't know about that, Dobe."

"I know sometimes you need help from friends when there's this one person that you're trying to get. You can ask your friends advice. You can count on them for help, right?"

'What the Hell is Naruto trying to say? This dimwit couldn't possibly be onto me, could he?' "What do you mean?"

"Well, if you were trying to win over a girl, I'd help you. You know that, right?"

"Hn." 'Seriously, what the Hell?'

"And you'd do the same for me, right?"

"Hn." 'Where is this going?'

"I'm meeting Sakura over at Ino's to get help for asking out a girl, but I don't really want Ino's help. I wouldn't mind Sakura's help, but I think I need guy help. Could you help me?"

'Is this _Crazy Day_? Someone forgot to write it on my calendar.' "Are you serious?" Sasuke's eyes nearly bulged out in surprise, but he held it back. It's the Uchiha way. He even managed to keep his tone low and slightly indifferent after that unexpected declaration.

"Yes. I'm serious. I think I'll need help from a noble family, like from you. You see. . ." Naruto looked around the ramen stand to make sure no one could eavesdrop. The workers were in the back, making more ramen. Naruto has nearly cleared out the pots of prepared ramen for other patrons. "I need help asking Hinata out on a date."

Sasuke almost choked on his ramen - almost. He's an Uchiha, dammit. Composure. 'The Dobe finally realized Hinata likes him, huh? But the reality of them dating is a bit more complicated than that.'

"The Hyuuga clan? That's quite an obstacle, Dobe. You'll need to ask the clan leader's permission to pick her up on the family grounds. Very formal. Hinata just happens to be the clan leader's eldest daughter. And you're not of a noble clan. You're likely to get shot down. You'll need something else gunning for you." 'This is going to be a shot in the dark for this imbecile.'

"Sakura says Hinata would agree to go on a date with me. She likes me, too! Can you believe it?"

"Hn." Of course, Sasuke noticed Hinata's long-standing fascination - no, obsession - with his blond friend. He wasn't blind. In fact, he believes those in the village who _are _blind could tell.

"So? Any help you can give me? Tips? A plan? Anything?"

"Well, I think I may have a plan." 'A plan to help me keep an eye on Sakura _and _help my best friend.' Sasuke began plotting, and clued his best friend in on it. 'Perfect.'


	5. Squeaky Clean & Sneaky Flashback Scene

Sakura's still getting ready for her date, while the two boys of Team 7 plot together and individually.

* * *

*bang bang*

"Sakura! Hurry up in there! The clock is ticking!" Ino is naturally pushy, and she was just too excited to keep waiting on her friend.

"I'm hurrying! I just want to make sure every speck of dirt is gone!" 'I'm not going to drop the washcloth until this water finally runs clear! Oh, to think if I had accidentally run into Kiba in my disheveled state! I would die of embarrassment!'

"Good idea! You looked disgusting! Do you need steel wool?"

"Shut up, Ino-pig!" She could hear giggling on the other side of the bathroom door. Sakura dropped the washcloth and picked up the loofah from the hook on the blue tile shower wall. She began thoroughly lathering up soap to further banish any more signs of her harsh practice today. 'Practice wasn't as harsh as that raven-haired jerk was. How dare he upset me this close to my date! I bet he was surprised to hear I could even get a date!' Sakura rinsed the loofah and put it back. Then she turned off the shower, finally happy with her state of cleanliness. She borrowed an apricot scrub. She smelled nice, once again.

Finally finished in the shower, Sakura wrung out most of the water from her rosette strands of hair and grabbed the fluffy white towel from the towel bar. She blotted her face with it and wrapped it around herself. She stepped out of the shower and headed to the big mirror at the dual sinks. She wiped away the fogginess from the mirror and looked at her face. 'Ooh, we have work to do before I go anywhere with Kiba.' She grabbed her moisturizer and rubbed a little in select areas of her face. Then the knocking came back.

"Forehead! Let me in! We need to hurry! Let's get started! Hair first, then makeup!"

"Ugh. Okay! Hold on!" Sakura the tank top and shorts she packed this morning. She opened the door to an anxious blond. She shoved her way in, ready to take control of the preparations. 'This should be a magical night for Sakura,' Ino thought. 'Let's make her look perfect!' Her intentions were good, at least.

"Let's get that hair dry. But first, we need to. . ."

*ding*

Ino sighed. "Who's bothering me now? Shika better not have invited Chouji over. He'll tear up my kitchen!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "That's not nice. He's sweet. Oh! I completely forgot! Naruto's coming over! You won't believe it, but he needs our help."

"Pfft. Whatever. Annoying." Ino poked Sakura in between her eyes. "Annoying. But Shika will entertain the idiot. C'mon. Let's just get the blow dryer out. Look in the cabinet in front of your feet. And put on those clothes."

"Ino! Naruto's here!" Shikamaru had looked through the peephole and saw spiky blond hair and a face with whiskers. Who else could it be? He opened the door to let him in.

Sakura grabbed Ino's arm. "Listen, Ino! He wants us to help him ask out Hinata!"

"What! Oh my gosh! No way!" Both girls grabbed each other and squealed loud enough that the guys downstairs could hear them. They were thrilled for their lilac-eyed friend.

From downstairs, poor Shikamaru could picture the two scantily-clad girls jumping up and down in each other's arms, and had a hard time hiding his blush. "Troublesome. It's better to just wait in the living room."

"Hn." Yep. Sasuke tagged along with Naruto over to Ino's place. The Uchiha allowed his friend to shower at his mansion, since it was closer. That gave him a little more time to gather more intel. It didn't go exactly as planned, however.

* * *

_FLASHBACK to 20 minutes ago_

_"Hey, Teme! Why do you have a loofah? That's a girl's scrubber-thing!"_

_"Shut up, Dobe. It creates a lather for proper cleaning." Sasuke sat on his bed after digging for clean clothes after his own shower. He had slipped into a pair of dark indigo skinny jeans. He was about to slip on a plain black v-neck tee, but the air hitting his bare still-damp skin just felt too good. He fell backwards onto his bedspread. The droplets of water that still clung to his well-toned abdomen shone under the room's light fixtures. As he stretched his arms over his head, his muscles flexed, too._

_"See? Totally girly! What else is in here? Tampons?"_

_A vein throbbed in his head. "Just shut up and hurry!"_

_"Hey, Teme? Do you think your plan is going to work? It's kinda simple. What if it doesn't work? I think Hinata's father is frightening!"_

_"He is. He is the head of the clan. It's his duty to be stern and. . .frightening."_

_"I've been meaning to ask, Teme. . .does all this mean you're the head of the Uchiha clan now?"_

_That was a surprising question. "Hn. Why do you ask?"_

_"Well, a clan leader, especially one like yours, needs heirs. The __Hyuuga __clan has plenty to choose from. But The head of the clan is expected to at least produce the top contenders as rightful heirs. You're the only Uchiha left, so you win by default, right? What now?"_

_"Naruto, I. . ." He took a deep breath. He wouldn't be talking so candidly if it wasn't his best friend. He knew he could trust him. "I am all that's left of my clan. I'm still young. My clan can go on to thrive with my heirs, or it can die with me. That's of my choosing. But I'd need help with continuing my clan."_

_"So you have been thinking about it?"_

_"Hn."_

_"Who would make for a suitable wife for you?"_

_"Just hurry up, dammit!" 'Now is not the time, Dobe.'_

_"Ooh. Touchy. So there's someone in mind, huh? Who could it be? Let's see. It would need to be someone who could stand up to your temper. She'd probably need to have a temper herself. She'd have to be beautiful, or else you probably wouldn't want to have kids with her."_

_"Dammit, Dobe!" Sasuke squeezed his eyes closed, a sign that he's already too frustrated with Naruto._

_"She'd need to be able to calm you down. So she'll need to be a little less annoying than I am. But she should be a little annoying for entertainment. Y'know, the kind of annoying that gets under your skin so you could get used to it. I'd have to like her and her personality, because she'd inevitably have to be my best friend. She needs to be funny, so maybe she could even make you laugh. She needs to be accidentally funny, then, because you couldn't even smile on cue if you took acting lessons for it. She'll need to be someone you can trust. Someone who knows you and your personality, you douchebag." _

_"Dobe. . .I'm warning you!" Now he was gritting his teeth._

_Naruto turned the shower head off and stepped out of the gigantic shower. He began toweling off. "See? She'll need to put you in your place, so she'll need a sharp tongue. And she'll need to be able to keep you in line. So maybe she should be able to beat you up if she felt the need to. Man, Sakura sure did beat the crap out of me tod. . ."_

_The last horse finally crossed the finish line at the Kyuubi Derby. Naruto saw Sakura had all these qualities. She exceeded expectations, as a matter of fact. Sakura was perfect! Why didn't he think of it before? Probably because Sakura doesn't fawn all over Sasuke anymore. But surely she still loves him? And he was pretty sure Teme could possibly like Sakura already. . .but Kiba! Tonight! Oh, shit. How was he supposed to help with this if he can't even help himself win over Hinata? Well, duh! Ino the meddler! Perfect!_

_Silence from Sasuke. Naruto had expected him to barge through the door and wail on him by now, but it never came._

_"Hey, Sasuke?''_

_"Hn."_

_Naruto opened the door, fully dressed in clothes Sasuke had picked out for him from his own wardrobe. Sasuke was now fully dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed. He stood up when Naruto walked back into the room. 'My best strategy is to keep playing stupid. Should be pretty believable.' _

_"Sorry, man. I'm ready to go now. Let's get over to Ino's. She's probably already helping Sakura get ready for her date." 'Shit. Don't mention that. Or should I?'_

_"Hn." Sasuke walked with Naruto down the giant staircase in the Uchiha mansion and out the two oversized front doors._

_On the way to Ino's little cottage-style abode, the two friends talked, and Naruto intentionally let slide a few key details about Kiba's plans to woo Sakura. Little did they know that both were bent on getting Sakura away from Kiba tonight._


	6. Taking A Trip?

As Naruto begins his plan to infiltrate the Hyuuga compound and the beautiful Hinata's heart, our scheming Sasuke stumbles into a lot more than he can handle.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke followed Shikamaru into Ino's living room. The ceramic tile made their footsteps echo in the nice-sized area with vaulted ceilings. They were led to the light blue sofa with paisley-patterned fabric, while Shikamaru took a white armchair with a matching blue paisley decorative pillow. He promptly stuffed it behind his head and leaned back, letting his eyes close.

"Troublesome day."

"Are the girls going insane yet, or are they just still in the usual irritating mode?" Naruto picked up a book off the glass coffee table and began flipping through it. Then he put the book down, very disinterested. It was about plants and gardening. Go figure. He's in a Yamanaka's house.

"They're. . .troublesome. You heard them squealing, didn't you? Ino's been acting crazy all afternoon. She wants me to plan a beach vacation next month for all of our friends. If I have to do this, would you guys come?"

* * *

_Flashback to approximately 30 minutes ago, while Naruto was in the shower:_

_Sasuke sat on his bed, towel around his waist. Water was dripping from his onyx locks and running down his handsome face. Sasuke didn't shave this morning, so his five o'clock shadow was starting to come in a little early. Not that it didn't add to his gorgeous features. Naruto has just turned on the shower. Sasuke's helping his best friend, just like he promised. But there might be a little something in it for him. He's a genius, so why not cook up a good plan such as this? Besides, who wouldn't want a nice beach vacation with all his friends?_

_*ring ring* _

_"Hello?"_

_"Ino. It's Sasuke."_

_"Sasuke? What is it?" There was a bit of surprise in Ino's voice.  
_

_"I need a favor. When was the last time Shikamaru's been to the beach house?"_

_"The beach house? Not at all this year. Not since before the winter holidays. Why?"_

_"I think we should plan a week of partying at the beach. The guys want some fun. And I need a vacation after my back-to-back missions."_

_"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt. And I do have a new bikini I haven't had a chance to show off yet! It's black with little blue and red. . ."_

_Sasuke held the phone away from his ear and tuned out. It was all he could do not to hang up on her. But he needed the beach house, and Naruto needs her help. "Ino. I have to go now."_

_". . .sale! I have a cute little straw hat to wear, too! It matches this bag I got. Both have red ribbon. . .did you say something, Sasuke?"_

_"Yes. I'll have to call you back to discuss details."_

_"Oh, okay! Bye!"_

_"Hn." Sasuke hung up the phone with an unnecessarily hard push to the "end call" button. He then threw the phone behind him, to the other side of the mattress. _

_"Teme, was that Ino? Do we have the beach house?" Naruto could hear through the door. Terrific._

_"Yes, and yes. If Ino is half that annoying with Nara, then he'll have to give her whatever she wants in order to get her to shut the Hell up."_

_"Great!" Then Naruto started singing. He didn't know what was worse: Naruto's singing or Ino's gibberish.

* * *

_

Present time:

"The beach? At your parents' enormous beach house? Count me in! Fun in the sun! Yeah!" Naruto played dumb about the trip, which wasn't too hard. He began chattering about how long it's been since he's had a trip to the beach.

Sasuke looked up to an overhang just past the stair railing. There stood Ino, and she had a strange look on her face.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru knew she was up to something.

"Naruto!" Ino began running down the stairs. Naruto panicked.

"Am I in trouble?" He jumped up from the couch and started backing up towards the french doors leading to the patio. He needed a way to make a quick escape. But Ino was faster than he was, and she was already coming right for him. He gulped.

Within a few seconds, Ino pounced on him, knocking him onto the living room rug. "Ooh, Dobe!" She squeezed him around his neck way too tightly. He couldn't breathe. "You're finally going to go out with Hinata! We have to help plan for a wonderful night! Call her right now!"

"Ino, let him go. He's turning purple." Shikamaru was right. He looked like a sour grape, with a sour look on his violet face to complete it. "And I don't think you're really helping."

Ino crawled off of him and sat on his knees. "Well, your wardrobe has certainly improved. And you showered. A definite plus. But what can we do with that spiky mop?"

Shikamaru turned to Sasuke. "Excuse me, Uchiha. I need to clean up this mess." Shikamaru walked over to the two blonds and picked up his girlfriend by her waist. He then carried her to the kitchen like a piece of luggage. Imagine a bag with a loud, shrill voice.

"Naruto, come here! Get out your phone! We'll call her right now!"

Naruto reluctantly followed the couple to the kitchen, but turned around mid-step. "Teme, go check on Sakura, okay? She must be upstairs. Let her know we're calling Hinata now. She wanted to help." Naruto grinned inwardly. 'This ought to be good. I'm a freaking genius! Now's the time to get Ino clued in. Why should I be the only one getting fixed up, anyway? Teme will totally thank me!'

"Hn." Sasuke looked up the stairs. He could hear someone shuffling around in Ino's bedroom. He turned his head to find the living room was now empty. He didn't really want to participate in Naruto's date setup or to hear Ino's voice any longer, so he opted to climb the stairs and check in on the object of his recent affections. These feelings were quite new to him, and he wasn't sure he could even halt them. As he took one soft step at a time, he thought about how Sakura gave him a cold glare this afternoon - a glare that rivaled his. 'Naruto is right. She has come a long way with her emotions. She does not let them get the better of her. She is still an emotional person, but it isn't so bad now. It's tolerable. She has matured, and I didn't even notice it. I wish I could get closer to her without compromising my dignity. I haven't been close to anyone besides my family and Naruto. Sakura could help fill an empty void. Hell, who am I kidding? I _am_ an empty void. But Sakura could help. She's very loyal and trustworthy. And definitely amusing. She has become less annoying, I must say. She doesn't prattle on like Yamanaka. I did not even notice she was attracted to someone else. When did she stop having feelings for me? Did I finally succeed in pushing her away? What have I done?' Sasuke was deciding that perhaps he should get closer to Sakura and possibly even try to spend some time with her. Then she will likely see him in a different light, and maybe he could rekindle her feelings for him.

Sasuke reached the top of the stairs, lost in thought. With an incredibly handsome look of contemplation on his face, he walked through the entryway to the loft-style bedroom. He looked around, but found no source to the footsteps. He walked silently over to the bathroom area. With the steam still hanging around the door, Sasuke knew Sakura had recently showered. 'Where is she?' Sasuke ducked into the bathroom. No one. But he saw Sakura's dirty clothes from practice in a pile next to the shower, and he saw the rolling duffel bag she was carrying earlier. It was sitting on the counter, open. Sasuke peered inside to find nothing of interest, so he walked out of the bathroom. He looked to his right to see a light peeking under a closet door that was ever-so-slightly cracked open. He heard a rustling noise and a familiar sigh. Sasuke slowly sauntered to the door and put his hand on it. 'It's Ino's closet. It must be bigger than the whole damn room,' he thought. He must've been noticed, because he heard Sakura say something on the other side. He immediately froze when he heard her speak.

"Can you tell me if this looks right? Come in here." 'This mirror can tell a lie, I say. My butt can't be that big!'

Sasuke should have contemplated further, but he was too curious to find out what laid hidden behind this door to think it through. So he went for it. Sasuke was immediately greeted with something he couldn't have even fantasized. 'Nosebleed, here I come.'

This goddess standing before him was the sexiest and most captivating vision the young Uchiha had ever seen. Sakura happened to be dressed in the most alluring black lace undergarments known to man. Her upper torso was adorned with a lacy push-up bra, and below her slender hips was a matching thong. The lingerie just happened to be perfectly appliqued with trails of pink sakura blossoms that slid like ribbon across the lacy bra, and a ditzy print of the same blossoms were seen on the front of the thong. Sakura had already lightly curled her hair into a beautiful full body of rosy tresses, and Ino started on the makeup. Ino gave her smoky violet, black and silver eyeshadow with a bit of mascara and more black eyeliner on the top eyelids than on the bottom lids. Her emerald eyes popped. A nice foundation with concealer and finishing powder gave her a flawless airbrushed look. The rosy blush enhanced her velvety skin perfectly. Sakura had just finished putting on a light berry-colored lip gloss. After her shower, Sakura rubbed in some body lotion with light bronzer for a healthy, radiant glow to her skin. She sparkled.

Sakura stood back and, pleased with her assisted handiwork, assessed her appearance in Ino's full-length mirror that stood in the corner opposite the door. 'Why is Ino-pig so quiet? She's usually more critical than this. Just like that bastard. . .' On that note, Sakura noticed the reflection of a man's hand fly up to his face.

"Uchiha!" Sakura whipped around to confirm the reflection in the floor-length mirror and screamed bloody murder.

Clenching his nose with his now bloody hand, Sasuke bolted from the closet so quickly that he tripped on his own two feet and fell. He didn't even make it to the door. Sasuke landed chin-first on the hardwood floor of Ino's bedroom. With a split chin and a nosebleed, there was quite a bit of blood underneath the oh-so-suave Uchiha. 'Oh, God. What did I do to deserve this?


	7. On The Hook

As Sasuke picks himself and his dignity up off the floor, Sakura only helps one of them up. But as Sasuke had quite literally gone head over heels, does she get in over her head?

* * *

Sakura grabbed a fluffy white robe Ino had haphazardly tossed over a fuchsia chair and slipped it on quickly before anyone else caught a glimpse of her in such a state. Then she ran over to Sasuke, very angry and out of breath; yet still somehow concerned for his welfare. "What the hell, Sasuke? Here, sit up." She ran to the bathroom and grabbed the same damp towel she used earlier. She then ran back to Sasuke, who was now sitting up with both feet planted on the floor and one arm angled behind him to support his weight and keep him up. His other hand was still holding his nose, and blood trickled over his fingers. The wound on his chin wasn't gushing, but was pretty bad off. Poor Sasuke was in a bit of pain. Not many others could see it, but Sakura could easily tell Sasuke was trying to hide the pain. . .and his embarrassment. She could see it all etched on his bloody and pitiful, yet still incredibly handsome, face.

Shikamaru ran into the room and stared at the scene, dumbfounded. The two blonds came in behind him. Ino gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Teme! What happened? Are you okay? Sakura! What did you do to Teme? You look like you tried to kill him!" 'Did he ask her out the wrong way or something? Or did he screw up and call her ugly, like Sai? Maybe I don't need his help to get my girl.'

"Shut up, Dobe. She didn't try to kill me. I fell and hit my chin." Sasuke managed to keep his cold, calm voice in check. He tilted his head back, and Sakura took the opportunity to wipe away some of the blood that was now dribbling down his neck. It wasn't doing a lot of good, though, since the bleeding had yet to stop.

"Shit! My floor! I'll go get something to clean it up. Sakura, can you get Sasuke into the bathroom? He's dripping!" She turned to Naruto, who was still looking on the scene with his jaw dropped. "Naruto, come downstairs with me and grab a mop."

"Gross! Aw, dammit!" Naruto followed her downstairs nonetheless. 'Damn, and I thought my mall escapade was embarrassing. I fell, but at least I didn't knock my ass out and spurt blood on Hinata.'

"Sasuke, stand up. C'mon." Sakura held on to the arm Sasuke wasn't holding to his face and helped lift him off the floor. Sasuke and Sakura stood up together and walked to the bathroom while holding the towel to Sasuke's face. Sasuke held part of it to his nose, and Sakura was using the other end to put pressure on his chin. She was a medic, after all. And still his teammate.

Shikamaru looked on at the scene in fascination. 'The fall explains the busted chin, but what caused the nosebleed?' Then the genius with the spiky ponytail caught a glimpse of black lace through a part in the robe. 'Oh. That'll do it.' He chuckled to himself and walked back downstairs, knowing this was going to be too troublesome to stay and watch. And he sure as Hell wasn't going to help clean up that disgusting mess when Naruto can do it. 'He's the one that sent the Uchiha up here in the first place.' Shikamaru decided to make himself scarce and decided on taking a nap or watching the clouds in his girlfriend's backyard.

"Shika, sweetheart! Don't think you're off the hook just yet!" Ino knew he'd try to get out of helping. But oh, no. He's going to call his parents _tonight _and make sure they can use the beach house next month.

'Damn.' "Troublesome girl." Shikamaru trudged out towards the french doors, anyway, but took out his cell phone to call his father.

All alone for the time being, Sasuke sat in a chair Sakura had pulled out from a corner near the bathtub. Sakura stood over him, arms folded. 'My pride just suffered a major blow. I've never been in such a situation. How the Hell can I redeem myself?' Sasuke decided to try to explain himself. "Sakura. . ."

"Hn." Sakura smirked. 'Bastard,' she thought. 'How about a taste of your own medicine?'

"Hn." 'Don't mess with the pro, bitch.'

"Well?" Sakura fetched another towel from the nearby linen closet and returned to putting pressure on his chin. It looks like she's going to have to translate his grunts in order to communicate with him. 'Jesus, he's so stubborn!'

"Hn." 'What do you want from me?'

"Aren't you going to apologize?" She pulled the towel back. The bleeding had reduced. But she wasn't about to use any of her chakra to heal his wounds before she got what she wanted from him.

"Hn." 'Hell no, bitch.' Sasuke looked back at Sakura with his usual blank, emotionless stare.

Sakura sighed and tossed the towel in the same corner as the other towel and her dirty clothes. "I'm not going to heal you until you apologize."

"Hn." 'Fuck you, bitch. I don't need you.' Sasuke turned his head towards the mirror. He was mortified at his condition. Blood had already dried on his upper lip, neck and shirt collar. His nosebleed had stopped, but his split chin was still very much an open wound. He really didn't want to have to walk into the hospital to get stitches while looking like this. And he's sure Tsunade would walk in to get an eyeful of him and he'd be forced to relay the entire embarrassing story. 'Damn you, cherry blossom.' "Annoying."

"Annoying? Really?" Sakura stood up straight and looked down at this pitiful excuse for a man, who, just happened to catch another glimpse of black lace from underneath the robe and began to heat up. "You owe me an apology for being a perverted Mr. Peeping Tom."

"It was unintentional."

"After you acted like a total jerk at practice today, and then this. . .I rushed to your side to help you. You are a real piece of work, Uchiha. I pity you. I really do."

Ouch. 'Shit. She's right. Maybe she does care about me?' "Why?"

"Why should you apologize? I just fucking told you! Are you deaf? I want you to say you're sorry! And mean it!" Sakura banged her fist down on the counter to make a point: she'd be using that fist as an alternative method of receiving an apology.

"No. Why did you help me? I could have stood up and fetched a towel myself." Sasuke hasn't been back long enough to try to mend any fences, and Naruto is almost the sole interaction he's had since returning and being allowed to go on missions again. After all he's been through, it isn't easy for Sasuke to reach out and take someone's hand. He isn't used to kindness. Is Sakura trying to kill him or something?

'Is he serious?' Sakura hopped up on the counter. Sasuke couldn't help but peek underneath at a little bit of black lace thong as she situated herself on the cold countertop. He thought his nose started bleeding again, so he held his finger up to squeeze his nostrils. Sakura shook her head at him, assuming he was getting a headache because she was annoying.

"Sasuke, you're my teammate and friend. If you're bleeding on the floor, you should expect me or Naruto to help you. That's a given. Now, why did you decide to peek at me? That was extremely embarrassing."

"I didn't _decide _anything. You told me to come in," Sasuke said in his usual monotone voice.

'Oh. Damn. I sure did.' Sakura slapped her forehead. "Never mind."

"Sorry." Sasuke turned to face Sakura. She pulled her hand away from her face, shock written on her features.

'He actually said it.' She looked at him and saw sincerity in his gorgeous eyes. "Thanks." She gave him a warm and beautiful smile. He couldn't help but feel the corners of his mouth move upwards.

"Hn." 'Wow. That really isn't the best response in all situations, is it? I might need to work on that.' Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted when he heard clanking items outside the door. He stood up to peer around the corner at the mess that was being cleaned up. 'Holy Hell, was all that from me?'

"I'm surprised I'm still conscious with that amount of blood loss."

"Oh, right! Let me see that chin. I'll fix it right up. Your nose is all better."

'For now,' Sasuke thought. He closed the bathroom door, walked to where Sakura was propped up on the counter and stood in front of her. He pulled the chair over to the new spot. She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer, smirking a little. Then he sat down in front of his 'personal nurse.' Sasuke immediately noticed he was in between her legs. He felt a blush creeping up on his face, and tried to keep all his body's reactions in check. He knew pretty damn well what was underneath that silk robe, and his mind swirled around the mental images that will never escape his memory.

Sakura didn't miss the blush, however. If it was someone who didn't know Sasuke or the Uchiha clan well and couldn't read their actions, then it wouldn't have been noticed. But she saw it. She chuckled internally, mainly because the blush was unbelievably cute. 'Oh, so the Uchiha can be embarrassed? Let's see how much I can torture this jerk.' She was obviously still pissed about the harsh words at the end of practice. After his intrusion, he shouldn't be let off the hook so easily.

Sasuke lifted his chin up so Sakura could get a good look at it, blush remaining and fighting against his will. She raised her left hand and cradled his chin. She leaned in to look at it unnecessarily, the robe slipping just a little down her right shoulder. Her right hand still held on to his left arm. Sasuke rolled his eyes down as far as he could to get a glimpse of the lacy strap of her bra. He then had another bodily function that he couldn't control, and it was more humiliating than the blush and the apology combined.

"Sakura, we're going to go downstairs. Since you're almost ready, we're going to go ahead and call Hinata, okay?" Ino gathered the rest of the cleaning supplies and walked out of her bedroom. Naruto had already bolted, anxious to see his Hinata and to plan a beach trip.

"You haven't already? Okay, then. We'll be down in a minute. I'll just close up this wound, and I'll get dressed." She didn't take her eyes off of Sasuke's chin. Sasuke looked towards the top of her head in curiosity. He couldn't see her face, so he was a little worried that she was still angry with him. And revenge can be Sakura's forte.

Sakura took her grip off his chin, only to grab a washcloth off the rack. It was likely meant to be decorative, but oh well. Ino can fuss at her about it later. She turned on the faucet to her right and soaked the washcloth in cold water. Then she shut off the faucet and brought the wet cloth up to Sasuke's chin. She applied gentle pressure to the wound. It had pretty much stopped bleeding. She pulled the cloth away and set it beside her. Then she brought her left hand back up to the wound and began channeling her chakra to heal Sasuke's chin. A glow emitted from the area. Sasuke could feel a calm and gentle warmth as his chin was being repaired. It was very soothing. Sasuke's muscles eased up. It was like he was being hypnotized, and his relaxing was induced. Soon, even the slightest bit of pain was gone. Sakura halted her healing, but turned her hand to gently hold his chin in place with her index and middle fingers so she could inspect her handiwork.

"Looks good," she commented. Sakura then grabbed the washcloth again and began slowly and gently wiping the blood off his chin and neck. She was torturous. Sakura stroked and caressed his sensitive skin with the cool cloth. Sasuke stifled a groan, but Sakura caught it. She knew she was turning him on. She smiled devilishly. She looked up to his face, and his eyes were closed. 'He must really be enjoying this. Naughty boy.'

Sakura brought the washcloth to his upper lip to clean up the blood that had trickled from his nose, and her other hand was raised to his neck. It seemed like it was there to help support his head in its position, but it soon started to move. Her empty hand stroked his neck while she gently removed any sign of injury from his face. Sasuke's eyes were still closed. Sakura could tell when she made a touch that he liked, because his eyebrows would furrow and his forehead would wrinkle. He was trying to hide his groans, but his hitched breath gave him away. Not to mention he couldn't really hide the bulge in his tight denim pants. Sakura wasn't stupid. She was doing this on purpose, after all. But she had to admit that his groans were getting pretty delicious.

Poor Sasuke was already very hot and bothered. He was having trouble figuring out if Sakura was actually helping. His thoughts were getting too clouded for him to rethink his current situation. All he could see were mental images from his sneak peek at Sakura's wonderful back view while getting a simultaneous glimpse of her fantastic front view. If he wasn't careful, his nose would start gushing again.

"You know, Sasuke. . .I've been meaning to tell you something." Sakura brought her hand from Sasuke's neck to his shoulder, where she continued massaging. She dropped the washcloth on the floor. It hit the floor with a light and noisy 'smack!'

"Hn." That grunt came out with a little more emotion in it than usual. Well, usual was nothing at all. So allowing any intelligible emotion to escape his throat was unusual.

Sakura leaned in closer and forward so she could get close to his left ear. "Ever since you came back, I was wondering how you felt about me."

"Hn." That one came out a bit strangled. Sakura found a spot that felt really good when she rubbed it. Sakura used her free hand to reach down and touch his knee. His leg jerked in reaction. Sasuke's dark eyes flew open and stared at the pink-haired vixen in amazement and confusion. He looked like a lovesick puppy. Sakura instantly knew she had control over the situation.

"I was wondering if, after all this time, I was all that you expected. Who knows? Maybe more. Maybe I exceeded your expectations." Sakura's left hand slid up his leg to mid-thigh. 'Whoa. Judging from that tent, Sasuke isn't packing light.' "I'd like to show you how I've improved. Can I show you?"

Sasuke stared back at her, eyes actually bulging a little. So much for the Uchiha impassivity. He'd been hit on before, of course. He's an Uchiha, and they're all insanely good-looking. Some missions were tougher than others, but he could manage to get some info and leniency simply because he was drop-dead gorgeous. Though this situation before him was not only shocking - it was what he'd been fantasizing about for at least a few weeks now. Unintentionally, of course.

So Sasuke did know what was going on, considering he's been hit on by enemies and civilian tramps alike; he was just not ready to stop her. 'Is she really trying to seduce me? I'm a freaking ninja! Why does she think she can trick me? But she is freaking hot, too, and she isn't exactly my enemy. Wait. Is she? Hn. Let's see how far this can get.' Sasuke dimmed his eyes and gave a glare.

"What do you want to show me?" Sasuke's response came out smooth as velvet and deep. Sakura was taken aback. The tables have turned.

'Dammit! He's on to me. I don't exactly have a Plan B. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.' "I. . .I. . .wanted to show you. . ." 'Please don't tell me he's just going to make fun of me now. I don't think I can handle it.' Sakura's head hung a little low in a defeated attitude.

"_Sakura. _Look at me." Sasuke's arms closed in around Sakura's lithe form and encased her in his signature woodsy scent. Sakura thought she was melting. Sakura's right hand still held on to Sasuke's shoulder, and her left hand that held the washcloth now held onto the side of the counter for dear life. Sakura looked up to Sasuke's face. He was looking right at her. But there was something in his eyes she couldn't quite comprehend. She saw his state of arousal, which was also plainly obvious - externally. But she saw a flicker of something else. It was something she wouldn't expect from an Uchiha, and especially not from Sasuke. She saw raw emotion. She didn't know what to make of it, but that flicker in his eyes made her feel. . .loved. Cared for. Wanted. Safe. All of the above. Sakura was too far gone. She was a victim of her own cruel game.

Sasuke knew the moment Sakura looked into his eyes that she was in his grasp. Not just physically, but emotionally. 'She still loves me. She has to.' Sasuke brought one of his hands up to the kunoichi's face and gently stroked her smooth, perfect cheek. Sakura stared back, unsure of what to do. Sasuke took advantage of Sakura's confusion to lower his arm to wrap around her waist. Sakura noticed this and looked at him with worry and confusion.

"What. . .Sasuke?" Sakura felt his grasp on her waist tighten. Then she felt herself being dragged to the edge of the counter. But she didn't stop there. Sakura's rear end soon hit Sasuke's knees. Sasuke smirked. 'Bingo.' In an instant, she was in his lap. She didn't have to see Sasuke's sexy smirk to know she was at his mercy. 'Oh, God. What did I do to deserve this?'


	8. What's Love Got To Do With It?

Sasuke and Sakura are in a bit of a predicament. But Sakura has a hot date in a few hours! And what about Naruto's hookup? What about the beach house?

* * *

Naruto and Ino sat at Ino's kitchen counter, atop bar stools. Ino was sipping water. Naruto was too nervous to eat or drink anything. Through the large kitchen window facing the backyard, Shikamaru could be seen on the phone with his mother. He was pacing back and forth on the patio. Mrs. Nara seemed excited about something, but Ino was too distracted to notice. He was only asking about the beach house, right? And Shikamaru loves his mom, after all. Of course he'd be talking to her. But the pacing was a sign of nervousness and anticipation. That should have been noticeable to Ino. However, the gossip at hand was too great to notice much else that was going on.

*Ring ring*

". . ."

*Ring ring*

"Um, are you sure about this, Ino?"

Ino nodded her head, assuring him this was going to be a breeze. She could sense he was nervous. 'It's totally adorable!'

"Hello?" Hinata finally picked up on the other line. She didn't recognize the number, so she was hesitant to answer. Lucky for Naruto, she did.

"Ah! Uh. . .hello, Hinata! I mean, good evening." 'Calm down, man. You'll get through this.' "It's Naruto."

"Oh, Na-Naruto! H-how are you d-doing? I-is there something I can he-help you with?" Hinata was shocked, to say the least. Her stuttering had been under control as she aged, but there's always a certain blond that always gets to her.

"Uh, yeah. You see, Hinata. . .there's this really nice restaurant in town that I haven't tried yet. And you know I love food! So. . .I was wondering if you might want to try it out with me?" The last part came out through gritted teeth. Naruto didn't realize it, but he was holding in a breath.

". . ."

"Hinata? You there?"

"Um. . .uh. . ." Hinata couldn't do much more than squeak and stutter. If she thought her previous stuttering was bad, then the inability to even form words must be painful. But one thing did come to mind. "Uh, N-Naruto? M-maybe that d-doesn't sound like a. . .a g-good idea."

Naruto's face drooped, and he looked as if Hinata had just stuck a kunai in his heart. Ino gave him a worried look, but he didn't see it. "What do you mean, Hinata?"

"I d-don't th-think my father w-would a-approve." Hinata was right. Just what was Naruto thinking? It's hard enough picking up any girl from her parents' home and being grilled by the father before they walk out, arm-in-arm. But even that is out of the question. This is the Hyuuga compound. It's a fortress. Hinata had might as well be locked in the tallest tower, guarded by a dragon.

"Oh. About that, Hinata. I was hoping. . .that we could come to an arrangement. I have a plan. A way around it. So don't worry!" Naruto was relieved. She was just worried about how this would all work out. Luckily. Naruto happens to be friends with a few geniuses. Shinobi geniuses. Naruto may not be the brightest one of the group, but he does have a few other talents. . .like finding ways out of sticky situations.

"O-oh?" Hinata hoped it wasn't something that could get them in trouble. "W-well. . . -i-if you th-think we can sn-sneak out. . ." Hinata was a little more encouraged now. This was like a dream to her! It was worth the risk, no matter how stupid the handsome blond's plan could be. Hinata wasn't oblivious. Naruto doesn't always have great plans. This was where his whole team would usually step in to help. Maybe, with a little help, this could work.

* * *

Back in the master bathroom, there sat Sakura. She still just happened to be in Sasuke's lap, wearing sexy lingerie underneath a robe. And the robe was slipping. And considering Sasuke's grip on her, she wasn't going anywhere until she backed down. 'Terrific. Damn it all.'

"Sasuke, look-"

"So, what do you want to do, _Sakura_?" Sasuke was so close to her face, looking directly in her emerald eyes. 'Damn, those eyes are gorgeous.' The purple in her eye makeup really made those green eyes pop out. He looked down a few inches to her berry-glossed lips. 'Damn, I might lose this competition.'

"Sasuke?" Sakura was just getting nervous now. Not only was Sasuke taking it too far, but she was getting pretty hot and bothered. His touch was electrifying. It sent little jolts through her body, and all he was doing was holding her. In his lap. 'Oh, Lord. This could go. . .wait a damn minute.' She had somewhere to be, didn't she? Oh! Kiba! Sakura's sudden look of shock and panic made Sasuke jump back in the chair.

"Shit!" Sakura just remembered why she was wearing lingerie, why she was getting dressed, and why she was even at Ino's house in the first place. After the profane outburst, Sakura pulled away from Sasuke and slid off his lap, startling him and making him loosen his grip. But she didn't slide very gracefully. Sakura's rear end hit the cold bathroom tile very unceremoniously. The robe slid all the way down both shoulders during the impact, giving Sasuke a view of the top of her cleavage.

'Why am I such a klutz?' "Pervert." Sakura grabbed the robe and drew it back up over herself while coming up to her knees.

"Hey, you started it." Sasuke just had to let out a breath of air, because that was a very difficult challenge. But he won. So, naturally, he still held his famous smirk.

"Started what? You must have misinterpreted." Sakura knew he wasn't going to buy it, but playing dumb was all she had to go on right now. She had to stop that interaction then, because it was getting too real for her. And that was scary. She's tried to move on from her feelings towards Sasuke, and that's exactly what she's going to prove tonight. Bye bye, Uchiha.

"Misinterpreted? I can interpret a lot. Don't tell me. . ." Sasuke stopped when he noticed the icy glare he was receiving. He was smart. He knew when to be quiet. She _does _hit hard.

"Excuse me, Uchiha. I need to get dressed. Please go downstairs." Sakura had enough. Playtime's over. But she still felt like that was too harsh. Something was nagging at her. Guilt, maybe? He did apologize, after all. But she made him squirm, so there was that. Only he succeeded in turning the tables on her. 'Ooh, that bastard makes my blood boil! I will teach him a lesson one of these days.'

"Hn. Fine." Sasuke didn't feel like a winner, but he still has a few tricks up his sleeve. His gut wrenched, knowing she's going to look killer tonight. And dog-boy is going to be fierce competition. 'Who in their right mind would give up something so. . gorgeous so easily? So beautiful. Stunning. So. . .whoa, calm down. There is more to come. This fight has just begun. Sakura may or may not be in love with me anymore, but she can fall right back in.' Sasuke stood up, not nearly as hot and bothered before, and made his way back to the staircase. 'Let's see how Dobe fared in his goal. I may be going out in a few minutes.'

Sakura watched him walk out of Ino's bedroom. 'I must be going crazy. What a day. This might be one Hell of a night.' Sakura walked back into Ino's adjacent closet to slip on her dress and shoes.

* * *

Naruto revealed to Hinata his plans to infiltrate the Hyuuga compound. Tonight. In just a couple of hours. He felt like a genius! Well, his team did, in fact, step in to help. Members of another team helped, too. Even though Sasuke conjured up most of the plan, Naruto felt he needed to take the credit. Sasuke would understand; he needed a little bit of a story to impress his future girlfriend! So the plan was finalized, and Naruto technically had a date with his dream girl! When the plan was set, he told Hinata he'd be there in about two hours, waiting outside the restaurant. He even got a reservation to this ritzy place due to a same-day cancellation. All she had to do was tell her father about a girls' night out, put on a gorgeous dress, and wait for her knight in shining armor. Which happened to be Ino.

Said knight jumped up and down in her kitchen, squealing. Then she looked up to Sasuke, who mysteriously appeared in the kitchen.

"Hn." He looked over to Naruto, who was still sitting down. "How'd it go?"

Naruto looked up to Sasuke, beaming. "It went great! The plan's on! Hinata thinks it'll work!"

"Why wouldn't it? I've been over there, like, a million times! We have girl's night out all the time! Almost every week! Hinata's father has even let her sleep over at my house before. I know we're a little too old for slumber parties, but that is a huge step for Hinata."

Sasuke looked back from Ino's flapping mouth to Naruto, hoping Ino would shut up soon. "So, we should get going, then. . ."

"Where are you going?" Ino was confused. What were the Uchiha's plans in all of this?"

"Hn. Naruto needs a coach. He has no idea what he's doing. He's bound to screw it up. You'd do the same for Sakura. He needs my help." 'Nice. It isn't even completely a lie.'

"Oh! Yes, yes! Get going, you two! Sakura should be ready soon, and we're going to. . .hey, sweetie! You were on the phone an awful long time! So, what's the verdict?"

Shikamaru had just walked back in to Ino's living room, and made his way into the kitchen. "Yeah, my parents have no problem with us using the beach house anytime next month. They were planning on going down there next week, so my mom said she'll have time to do a bit of cleaning. She wants to bug bomb the place. She doesn't want a fiasco, like last time."

Ino shuddered, remembering full well what happened the last time they went to the beach house after it had been empty for a while. It was infested with cockroaches. "Ugh. Never again. Tell her I said 'thanks.'" Ino turned to the two other guys in the kitchen. "Get going, you two! We'll definitely have to meet you there! Sasuke, do. . .something - anything - with Naruto's hair, please!"

"Hn." Sasuke looked at his best friend, who had a confused expression on his face. Then his hand was rubbing the back of his head, and a nervous chuckle escaped his mouth.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru didn't like any of this. Not one bit. 'All this trouble just for a date?' But, as he had learned, sometimes someone you love is worth a bit of trouble. Yes, he said _love_. Well, he was thinking it, anyway.


	9. Is It Hot Tonight?

As the sun sets, the fun begins! Finally, a beautiful night on the town in Konoha! Kiba finally enters the picture. A small Shika/Ino moment.

* * *

Sakura checked herself over in the mirror, already mentally exhausted. Her chakra level was almost depleted after practice, and she was regaining her strength. . .until a certain raven-haired lunatic came in to seriously mess with her head. He ended up damaging his head, though. But no matter; Sakura has a date with the gorgeous Kiba Inuzuka, and she can surely forget about that disastrous situation with that moron.

Sakura wore a beautiful berry-colored sheath dress with a wrap that tied at her hip. The taffeta material made Sakura's form shine in any light, and the Austrian crystal-adorned pin that she added to the tie at her hip really added something to the dress. Her matching Austrian crystal pendant sparkled, but paled in comparison to her smile. Sakura's sparkle didn't stop there. On her finger was a silver ring with a princess-cut black diamond surrounded by tiny smaller white diamonds. It was a gift left to her by her grandmother. Strappy black platform heels gave Sakura a little bit of height and longer legs. Not to mention they looked extremely sexy. Sakura was dressed to kill.

"Forehead, you'd better be ready by now. You've had forever! Let's see what. . ." Ino stopped in the doorway of her closet. She was speechless. Sakura looked hot!

"Do you like it? I think I look fantastic!" Sakura glowed radiance. She did a little twirl. She was happy she got such a great response from Ino, because Ino's opinion really mattered to her. Ino would be blunt, and would tell her if she wasn't perfect. Ino would also go the extra mile to help her look her best. Sakura picked up a black beaded clutch that looked great with the dress.

"You look absolutely amazing, Sakura! Let's. . ." The doorbell rang. Ino's eyes went wide. "Perfect timing! Quick! Splash on some perfume! Try my new one in the round bottle! It's by the sink! Then hurry downstairs! Better yet, go slow! Don't trip! Ooh! I'll go get the door!" Ino, freaked out and overexcited, ran to her stairs and practically crashed into the railing. She skipped steps to get to the door quickly. She wrapped her hand around the doorknob and flung the door open. A gorgeous man on the other side stood back in shock.

"Whoa. Hey, Ino. Is Sakura. . ."

"Oh, you look amazing! Come in! Sakura's almost ready!" She hustled him inside and led him to her couch. He sat down and looked around a little bit.

"Wow. Your place looks nice."

"Oh, thank you!" Ino giggled. Ino liked Kiba Inuzuka. He was a member of the Inuzuka clan, which was well-known in Konoha. He was also a long-time personal friend of Shikamaru's, so they already knew each other. He was also another gorgeous guy, so of course Ino liked him!

They heard footsteps above them. They looked to the top of the stairs, where Sakura made a grand entrance by going slow like Ino instructed. Kiba held in a breath at the beauty that glided down the stairs and into the living room. He stood up immediately and moved over to her. Sakura didn't waste any time in giving Kiba a once-over. And she wasn't disappointed.

Kiba took Sakura's breath away. His usually unruly brown hair was fixed into a nice, short arrangement. His attire included a form-fitting black vest over an expensive silver dress shirt, and coordinating black dress slacks that were tailored to fit him perfectly. They were steam-pressed, and they fit him splendidly. He chose to wear well-polished leather oxfords. He dressed to impress, and he really looked like a million bucks. Since this was a warm Spring night, Kiba had the shirt sleeves expertly rolled up a quarter of the way. There was no question: Kiba's form was magnificent. Kiba Inuzuka was tall and slender, with a body that didn't hide the fact that he and Akamaru trained frequently. He was a very strong shinobi, after all. He came from a clan of powerful fighters. And did he love to fight. And that smile! He flashed a sweet and honest smile, but those canines made him look. . .wild. It was a definite turn-on. His animalistic eyes - in more ways than one - eyed over his companion for the night.

Kiba leaned down to give Sakura a kiss on her cheek. He retracted a little slower. "Wow, Sakura. You look stunning. Absolutely beautiful." His eyes glazed over a little. He definitely enjoyed his date's appearance.

"Oh, th-thank you. Y-you look great, too." As Kiba seemed cool and confident, Sakura was nervous. She was turning beet red at his compliments and glances. 'How embarrassing! I'm blushing and stuttering. Like Hinata! Well, not that bad. But oh, my Lord! Look at him! He's. . .gorgeous!' Sakura looked at the clock on Ino's mantel. "Well, we'd better get going."

"Yeah. Our reservation is for 6:30. We have a few minutes, though, so there's no rush."

"Oh, nonsense! Get going, you two! Have a wonderful night!" Ino practically pushed them out the door. Then she leaned in to whisper in her best friend's ear. "Don't leave too early, but don't leave too late. Be sure to spend a bit of time talking about him and learning about him, and make him lose track of time so he'll know he must've had a great time with you. But leave him wanting more. And remember: have a bit of fun! You deserve it!" Ino ignored her friend's rolled eyes and jumped back, waving goodbye. "Get going, now. You crazy kids!"

"Tell Shikamaru I said hello, Ino. And don't worry, because I'll take good care of your friend." He smiled genuinely, and looked down at Sakura. He didn't seem to mean anything by it. She blushed again. 'Dammit. Act like an adult, Sakura!' Kiba extended his hand to her, and she put her hand in his. She felt goosebumps on her skin. Then they walked down Ino's sidewalk and into the night.

Ino smirked right after she closed her front door. 'Finally. Have fun, Sakura.' Ino turned on her heel, in search of her boyfriend. "Oh, Shika!"

Shikamaru's head popped around the corner of the open refrigerator door. He was searching for ingredients to make a sandwich. "Yeah?"

Ino hopped in the kitchen and propped herself up on a bar stool. She put her elbow on the counter and held her head in her hand. "Well, everyone's gone for the night. What do you want to do?"

"Hm. We could watch a movie." He took out a package of sliced turkey and cheese. He was having trouble finding tomatoes, though. "Did Sasuke have a snack while he was here?"

"No, I don't think so. Tell you what: pick out a good movie, and I'll make us some sandwiches. I don't think I can stand you making a mess out of my kitchen." Ino grabbed the bag of bread that was sitting close to her and stood up, scooting Shikamaru out of the kitchen. "Go on!"

"Ah! Okay, then." Shikamaru grabbed his open bottle of water from the counter and headed into the living room. He squatted in front of the entertainment center to open the storage drawers underneath. He smirked at one of the selections. 'Nice. This will make tonight pretty interesting.' He put the DVD in the player and waited for Ino before he let the movie start. He sat on the couch with his bottle of water and the remote sitting on the coffee table in front of him. Then he placed his arms behind his head, still smirking.

Ino walked into her living room with two plates in her hands and her bottle of water from earlier tucked under her arm. "Here, sweetie."

Shikamaru gratefully took his plate. "Thanks." Then he hit play.

"What movie are we watching?" Ino sat down close to her boyfriend, curious as to what he selected. But she didn't have to wait any further for the movie title. She saw the graphics and immediately knew he selected a horror flick. "Oh, Shika! Really?"

"What? It's not like there's a thunderstorm outside. And I'm here. This is the perfect setting for watching a scary movie, right?"

"Well, okay." They ate while the movie started. But about twenty minutes into the movie, Ino was shutting her eyes at every other scene.

"Heh. You scared?" Shikamaru seemed to be thoroughly enjoying Ino's reactions more than the movie's action and violence.

"Duh. What do you think?" A scream came from the television, and Ino reared back onto the couch. She grabbed Shikamaru's arm and squeezed his hand with hers.

'Perfect.' Shikamaru put his arm around Ino and pulled her close to him, smirking again. Ino wrapped both her arms around him for comfort and scooted as close to him as she could without sitting on him. But the crazy killer in the movie made another appearance with his weapon of choice, and was sneaking up on another victim. "Close your eyes, sweetheart."

The killer struck again in a gruesome manner, but Shikamaru was surprised to see Ino staring right at him. He was confused. "Ino, what is it?"

"You called me 'sweetheart.'" 'Oh, how sweet! I love this guy! I'm pretty sure I love this guy!'

"Oh. Troublesome." Shikamaru turned to look back at the screen. But he wasn't really paying attention to the movie anymore. Ino pulled one of her arms around Shikamaru's face to turn his head back to her. She leaned in and gently placed her lips on his. Shikamaru immediately reacted to the kiss, pulling her even closer to him. Ino moved her other hand to his ponytail, using it to keep him right where he was. The kiss started to heat up. Soon enough, Shikamaru's hand started to roam. His hands were quick to run up Ino's flat stomach and to her chest. Ino moaned into the kiss, and Shikamaru was lost.

Ino crawled into Shikamaru's lap with her back facing the television. Their lips didn't separate once. Shikamaru's hand was still fondling her from underneath her tank top, while his other arm was supporting her around her waist. Ino shifted so she was straddling her boyfriend's lap. Both her hands ended up in Shikamaru's hair. One of her hands reached up to untie his ponytail, and his brown hair spilled out over his shoulders. Ino pulled back to look at him. They both took in heavy breaths.

"Shika. . ."

"Hm?" His hand that was underneath her shirt stilled. He was about to reach around and unclasp her bra, so he was a little impatient with this interruption.

Still out of breath, Ino managed to whisper into Shikamaru's ear. "Do you. . .do you love me?"

'Really?' "Uh. . .well. . ." 'Oh shit, why now? Thinking it is definitely not the same as saying it aloud. And saying it right in the face of the woman you _actually _love? What does she. . .'

Just then, Ino's cell phone went off. She recognized the ringtone as Hinata's. The plan was set into action. Ino gasped. "I almost forgot!" She hopped up off the couch and scurried out of the living room, leaving behind a very frustrated and flabbergasted Shikamaru. Ino ran to the kitchen, where she left her phone. She caught it just in time.

"Hello?"

"Ino! It worked! My father will be expecting you to pick me up and head back over to your place. I'm packing my bag now. I don't have much time! Oh, this is so amazing!" Hinata sounded so happy. Ino's heart melted.

"Okay, I'll be over there soon. Let me change, though. I've been wearing this tank top and these shorts all day."

"Okay! Thank you, Ino!" They hung up. Ino danced around the kitchen, extremely happy for both of her friends.

Shikamaru sat on the couch, very disappointed. "Troublesome." He threw his head back, and groaned. 'This is going to be a long night.'


	10. Bella Notte

Off on dream dates, our guys and girls have some much-needed fun. But our schemers are scheming. Who is that? Warning: Shika/Ino mature moment.

* * *

Ino walked up to the Hyuuga compound's front door to the main house, as she'd done before so many times. Ino was still a little worried about the plan. 'What if this doesn't work?' Ino was dressed in a plain white blouse and a gray skirt, with plain black sandals. She can't help but be a little bit nervous. Not just about her appearance, though she always chose to dress conservatively around the Hyuuga compound. Ino Yamanaka is already known by the guards as one of Hinata's annoying, pretty and very talkative friends. The guards actually don't mind when Ino, TenTen and Saukra come around. They are nice to look at. But they still have to make sure she is who she says she is. A simple jutsu could disguise a ninja as Ino.

"Ah, Ino. Come in." Ino was greeted at the door by one of the clan's employees to the house. They already know her, as well. "Hinata is ready. She is very excited. It's nice to see a smile on her face."

"Oh, yes. How are you doing this evening, Kaoru?" Ino stepped inside into the foyer to wait on Hinata. Ino didn't like wandering around the compound without an escort, even inside.

"Fine, thank you. I hope you are well, yourself."

"Yes, fine." Ino gave a sweet smile to the kind woman and she escorted her inside.

Kaoru was a very kind middle-aged house servant, possibly in her late thirties. Kaoru had once told Ino that she has worked at the Hyuuga compound most of her life, since her mother had brought them there after her father died. Her mother needed a job, and they couldn't stay in their old home anymore. Servitude was all Kaoru had known. Ino wanted to feel sorry for her, but Kaoru reassured her that living at the Hyyuga compound was wonderful for her. Kaoru is a pleasant woman, and has been a friend to Hinata since she was a small child. Int his family, Hinata really needed friends when she was much younger. Kaoru had fine, wavy, jet black hair fell to her neck. Sometimes she enjoys braiding it, and it will usually be slung around her shoulder. Kaoru was wearing her usual house servant uniform and basic sandals, and an apron. She must have been helping out in the kitchen earlier, because the apron is now dirty.

"Would you care for a refreshment while you wait, Miss Yamanaka? We baked a few fresh berry pies earlier. I personally picked the strawberries in the strawberry pie."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful, Kaoru, but I'm afraid I've already eaten tonight. And Hinata and I are in a hurry. Sakura is already waiting on us at my house." 'Such a lie. Sakura is out having fun at a great restaurant. Hinata is about to join her, too! Play it cool, Ino! But Kaoru wouldn't tell, would she?'

Hinata came peeling down the stairs in a hurry, bag in tow. She was already out of breath. "Ready! Goodbye, Kaoru! I'll see you in a couple of days!" Hinata and Ino had arranged that Hinata would stay over for two nights to recuperate and not give any signs that she's going out tonight. Ino didn't want to know what kind of trouble her friend would be facing if her father catches wind of this. Dating without her father's permission may carry a heavy punishment. Ino didn't want to find out.

"Oh, goodbye! Have fun!" Kaoru bowed to Hinata and returned further into the house.

"Oh, let's go!" Hinata urged Ino to walk quicker, though Ino was pretty stressed out at this point. But Hinata was too excited to slow down. Once they were clear of the compound walls, Ino breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew!"

Hinata stopped and used her kekkei genkai to look around to make sure no one was giving chase. If she and Ino acted suspicious, her father could have a reason to assign guards to follow her and report back. In fact, her unusual panic when packing certainly came across as suspicious. Sure enough, she thought there might be one or two on her tail. But Hinata wasn't worried about it.

"We might have company, but we can shake them if we need to. No need to worry, anyhow." Hinata sounded braver than ever tonight! She has come a long way in her attitude, but this amount of courage was a bit out of character! Ino was surprised! Ino was also worried about any guards who might be following them. She didn't know what to expect.

"Is that okay? Are you sure?" Ino looked over at her friend, who looked as cool as a cucumber.

"Sure, Ino. We are just going to your house. They will follow us all the way there to make sure I get there safely and will then report back to my father. I usually have followers when I leave with you."

Ino felt a little queasy, now knowing that. She never detected anyone following her before. It was worrying enough that she couldn't detect whoever was following them at this very moment.

Ino and Hinata quickly hurried through the Konoha streets and finally reached their destination. Hinata placed her bag down and tried to inconspicuously use her kekkei genkai again. She searched behind her, in the shadows, and saw that both of her followers were already retreating back to the compound to report that she had made it to Ino's house safely. Hinata was a little worried that her father had not trusted her. It had taken a while for her to build up enough trust with her father. It took even longer to recreate a relationship with him after reassigning the title of heiress to her little sister, Hanabi. She didn't want to risk it all, but she just knew an evening with Naruto would be worth it.

Ino had opened the door by now, and picked up Hinata's bag for her. Ino walked through her doorway and into the safety of her home. Though they were guards sent to actually protect Hinata, and Ino by association, they were still a bit unnerving for her. She didn't know they had ever followed them all the way back before. She had been none the wiser.

Hinata walked in to Ino's house right behind Ino and closed the door gently. "Oh, thank you, Ino, but that isn't necessary. I can carry-"

"Don't worry about it. Let's get you upstairs and fix you up for your date tonight! You have to hurry!" Ino pulled the bag up the stairs. Ino placed the bag on the edge of her bed, on the neatly folded fuchsia comforter. Ino fixes her bed by drawing back the comforter to where only the white sheets with pink polka dots are tucked in. Hinata opened the bag and pulled out a very neatly folded garment bag containing her dress, Ino presumed.

"Let's see the gorgeous dress, Hinata!"

Hinata unzipped the bag to reveal a silky emerald green evening dress. It had thin straps and ruching on the bodice. Ino barely noticed, but Hinata's fully-developed form would fill out the top quite nicely. The dress looked expensive. But then again, nothing is too good for a Hyuuga. The dress was likely custom-made for Hinata. This clan does not shop off the rack.

"Oh, Hinata! This dress is absolutely beautiful! You're going to knock 'em dead in this! Oh, Naruto is going to lose his mind!" Ino reached in her bag to find strappy black heels. They weren't as sexy as Sakura's platforms, but Hinata wasn't spicing up her appearance like Sakura was. She was going for a classic look of elegance. Hinata was a bit taller than Sakura, anyway, so she didn't need too much height. The shoes looked expensive, as well. Then Ino reached in to find a little velvety black drawstring bag.

"Y-you really think s-so?" The mere mention of Naruto made Hinata's head spin, She still couldn't believe she was doing this!

"What's in here, Hinata? Jewelry?"

"Oh, yes! Look and see!" Hinata took her dress and went into the bathroom to change. She already knew she wouldn't have as good a collection of makeup as her friend would, so she went in to beautify herself first. "C-could you help me with a little bit o-of makeup?"

Ino wasted no time in opening the little black bag to find a very expensive pearl necklace and matching earrings. "Oh, beautiful!" She didn't even notice that Hinata was getting nervous again. She overlooked the stuttering. "Oh, yes. Hold on, Hinata." She placed the pearls back in the bag and brought them into the bathroom with her. She and Hinata were going to have to hurry!

* * *

Kiba and Sakura arrived at the restaurant, arm-in-arm. They chatted casually the whole way there. Sakura had already found that Kiba was actually very funny, and quite a gentleman. She never knew that before. Perhaps it was only with her that he could let that part of himself show? From what Hinata told her about her teammate, Kiba actually can be very protective of her. He doesn't have to worry about Shino, but tends to be overprotective of Hinata on the battlefield. He can be a bit wild and he absolutely loves to fight, but he's loyal to his friends and has a big heart.

Kiba had just revealed how Akamaru bested him in training yesterday. Akamaru ended up accidentally knocking over a tree, and Kiba had to jump out of the way to avoid it. It was unfortunate that he jumped to the left instead of the right, because Kiba ended up splashing right into the river. Akamaru thought he was drowning and jumped in to save him, but jumped directly on him and pulled him under. He thought he was a goner until Akamaru actually succeeded in pulling him to the surface.

Sakura chuckled femininely. "Oh, Kiba! I didn't know that you were such a klutz! I am, too, in fact. I tripped and fell twice, just this morning! The first time, I jumped out of bed and fell right in the floor! I just didn't even try to get up until several minutes later!" 'Maybe I shouldn't mention the reason I jumped up was because I was overexcited about our date tonight! And it's going so well already, even though it just began! Ino is going to get an earful tomorrow morning!'

Kiba laughed heartily. Sakura looked up at him. He really did have very handsome features. He had a strong bone structure, muscles that rippled when he laughed, and those canines showed every time he smiled. 'I wonder what they feel like on my neck. . .oh. . .he could drag them across my skin. . .and nibble just a little. . .'

"Sakura, we're here. Are you okay? You were laughing just a second ago, and then you tuned out." Kiba received a blush and a nod. He smiled and walked them into the entrance of the cute restaurant. Sakura stole a glance at the outside. They had a large, ornate sigh fixed onto the front, and it read: _Bella Notte_. 'Wow, it is a bit ritzy. Such a small restaurant for the front to have columns outside. Fancy.' Sakura was impressed.

"Are you okay, Sakura?"

"Yes. Oh, sorry. My mind wanders sometimes."

Kiba smiled at her and removed his arm from her grasp, only to wrap it around her shoulders and they walked into the restaurant.

"Good evening. Name, please?"

"Inuzuka Kiba." Kiba looked over to Sakura, who was taking in the restaurant. Then he looked back to the host.

"Ah, yes. Follow me, please." The host led them into the main dining hall. It was even more ornate than the outside. Beautiful painintings and scrolls hung on the walls. The table settings included candlelight, flower arrangements and very nice crystal drinkware. "Haruko will be your server tonight. And here she is. Please enjoy your evening."

Their waitress appeared just as their host quickly walked back to his post to assist someone else. "Good evening! My name is Haruko, and I will be your server tonight. Would you like to see our wine list?"

"Sakura, would you like some wine?" Kiba's eyes flashed over to his date.

"Oh yes, please. I'd like a glass of white wine." 'Kiba must be enjoying himself, too. He can't stop grinning. His eyes are sparkling. I think mine are, too!'

Kiba selected a wine for them that was probably too expensive for Sakura to even comprehend. She smiled at Kiba. 'He must be aiming to impress tonight. Well, have at it.' She and Kiba struck up another conversation before the wine was delivered.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke left the Uchiha compound, dressed in nice suits and polished. Sasuke was a pro at this, but Naruto felt a little uncomfortable. Naruto was also a little nervous. Well, more than a little. He worried the whole way there.

"Oh, Teme! What if Hinata hates this suit?"

"Dobe. It's a suit. Hinata likes _you_. Besides, you look fine."

"Oh. Thanks, Sasuke! You're right!" The two young men arrived at the restaurant shortly after Kiba and Sakura were seated. They stood outside and waited.

"Do you think Sakura is already here?"

"Hn. Yes. I can sense her. She's inside already." He could sense Kiba, as well. 'Bastard. You just keep your hands to yourself. You may not get them back.'

Naruto was still not sure why Sasuke was there with him, all dressed up. He didn't have a very happy face on, either. It was colder than usual.

"Teme, are you dining with me and Hinata?"

Sasuke looked at him like he wanted to slap him. "No, you idiot. I have my own date." 'Quit asking questions, you imbecile! You're so annoying!'

Naruto looked at him incredulously. "Wha? Where? When did this happen?" Naruto didn't want his two teammates to be in the same restaurant with different dates. He was adamant that Sasuke and Sakura were perfect for each other. It would be a lot of work to pull it off, but it would help if things didn't go so well with Kiba tonight. But Kiba was smooth, handsome, and he really did like Sakura. Naruto noticed that the last time they joined teams for a mission, about a month ago. If it went well, then Kiba and Sakura may be sticking together for a while. Naruto knew that much.

"Hn. An old teammate." Naruto looked at him thoughtfully. He couldn't place a name. Then it him him. 'Did Sai come back from his mission early?' Naruto looked back at his friend and eyed him suspiciously.

Sasuke felt Naruto looking at him and didn't like the look he was getting. "What is it, Dobe?"

"Who's your date? Is it. . .is it a. . .guy?" Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, hoping for the best. 'Well, Sakura, you might as well stick with Kiba.' "Teme, just know that I'll support y-"

"Karin." Sasuke didn't have to look back at his friend to know he was holding back both a gasp and a gag. As if on cue, a fiery redhead in a highly inappropriate red dress walked around the corner. The dress showed way too much, and the material wasn't very flattering. It had a plunging neckline that was not fit for dinner at a nice restaurant. She wore red kitten heels and a tremendous amount of makeup. She wasn't completely unfortunate, though. She might have looked quite a bit. . trashy, but she did have a bit of beauty going for her. And she, of course, was invited to dinner at a fancy restaurant by none other than the unbelievably handsome sole heir to the Uchiha clan.

* * *

Ino had rushed Hinata out of her house quickly, escorting her part of the way. But Hinata had a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew no one was following her. It soon didn't matter, because a famous head of blond hair appeared in front of her. Naruto was wearing a really nice black suit with a blue shirt and a black tie. He didn't see her yet. Hinata immediately noticed Naruto fixed his hair a bit. It still had the crazy appearance, but it looked a bit tamed. She saw Sasuke standing next to him, so she surmised that the Uchiha must have helped his friend prepare for his date. Noblemen tend to learn how to groom themselves at a young age, in order to always look presentable. She had to giggle a bit at the thought of Sasuke being a personal hairdresser. Something caught Hinata's peripheral vision, and her head darted over to the left. She blinked a few times, because she thought she was imagining something. No, she wasn't hallucinating. She gasped.

There, in a tight and very inappropriate dress, was Karin. She had her hair fixed in a rather plain up-do, which wasn't too flattering on her. She wasn't wearing her glasses. She was walking right up to Sasuke. And he didn't shove her away. He didn't even turn away. He walked up to meet her. 'Oh, my goodness!'

Naruto turned around to see Hinata. His jaw literally dropped. Sasuke wasn't really paying too much attention to Karin, though from the looks of it, that's exactly what she was looking for. He looked to his side to see a dumbfounded Naruto. He looked a little bit past him to see Hinata. 'Wow. She looks pretty great, actually. Why am I stuck with this, then? This cannot stand. Soon.'

"Dobe. Hey, Dobe." Hinata was walking over to them, but Naruto appeared as if he was in a coma. "Hey. Dobe! Naruto!" Sasuke had to resort to smacking Naruto on the back of his head. Naruto lunged forward, losing his footing.

"Oh, oh! H-h-hi, H-Hinata!" He rubbed the back of his head in the spot where Sasuke's palm connected. He was sure there was an Uchiha-shaped hand print there. Then he rushed to his date's side and stuck out his arm for her to grab on to. "Here, Hinata! Let's go inside!"

"Oh, t-thank you, N-Naruto." 'Calm down, Hinata, and stop stuttering.' Poor Hinata thought she was going to faint in front of Naruto. Again.

"Sasuke! C'mon! Let's go inside, too!"

"Hn." 'Damn it all. I'm not going to enjoy this.' Sasuke made no move towards Karin, who was hoping he'd extend his arm out to her, as well. But Sasuke didn't feel like being a gentleman right now. He was dressed in a very nice, expensive suit, and his date was dressed like a cheap whore. She was acting like it, too. He trudged in behind Naruto and Hinata. 'I can't believe I'm actually jealous of Naruto. There's another feeling I'm not used to. And I don't like it.'

* * *

Ino stepped back into her home, feeling very fatigued. 'Oh, the things a girl will do for her friends. Even crawling out of her hot boyfriend's lap to rush to their aid.' Speaking of which, she looked over at the couch when she walked into the living room. Shikamaru was nowhere to be found. 'Huh? Where'd he go? He didn't leave, did he? Oh, no!' Ino rushed into the kitchen, hoping he got hungry again while he waited for her. No Shikamaru.

"Shika? Sweetie? You here?" Ino went through the kitchen and into the hallway, leading back towards her office and guest bedroom. She stepped into her office. The light was on, so he must've been in here a little while ago. She had books and scrolls in there. Shikamaru liked this room. On rainy days, he'd bring his own books and read on the really comfy chaise near the back bookcase. Ino liked that chaise. Sometimes she'd ambush Shikamaru on the chaise for a little intimate time. He never complained, even when she made him lose his place.

Ino closed the door and walked into the hallway bathroom. It was very dark, so she flipped the light on. No Shikamaru. The blue chenille curtain was drawn back in the smaller tub, and nothing was out of place on the white porcelain pedestal sink. She turned the light back out and moved into the guest bedroom. She turned the light on. The yellow and blue floral bedspread hadn't been disturbed. The closet door was still only slightly ajar. She could see some of her winter clothes in there for storage. And shoes. Lots of extra shoes. She flipped the light back out and walked back down the hallway.

Ino moved to the stairs. "Shika?" She was starting to get creeped out now. Knowing that guards had been undetected so many times right outside her own home was really disturbing. Her only comfort was knowing her boyfriend was still in the house to keep her safe. Not to mention that scary movie earlier this evening didn't sit well with her. As Ino grabbed the railing for her staircase, she thought she heard something. She was hoping she heard something, actually, because absolute silence usually means something's wrong in the world of shinobi.

Ino reached the top of the stairs. Her bedroom light was off. 'That's strange. I didn't turn it off when Hinata and I left.' She reached over to the wall to flip on the switch. The light came on, but nothing had changed since she had left. 'Strange. . .wait. Is the shower. . .the shower's on! Please, oh _please _let it be Shikamaru! Oh, the serial killer usually attacks the _victim _in the shower. Duh.' Ino sauntered over to the bathroom door. Sure enough, the light was on and the shower was running. She put her hand on the doorknob. It wasn't locked, of course. She opened it and slowly cracked the door. Even if it creaked, Shikamaru shouldn't be able to hear it while he's in the shower. Ino looked inside through the cracked door and saw Shikamaru's profile in the steamy shower door. She grinned wickedly and decided to sneak inside. She sidestepped and smoothly crept inside the bathroom. No movement at all from Shikamaru. He wasn't even paying attention. Ino could see a foggy view of his backside and a glimpse of his well-defined torso. 'Not bad.' She tiptoed over to the sink, but didn't quite make it past the shower. But Shikamaru didn't even flinch.

Suddenly, Ino froze. The problem was that she couldn't move, even when she told her body to do so. "Shika, sweetheart. . ."

"Hm?" 'Heh. Sneaky, huh?'

'That smart son of a bitch knew I was in here the whole time, didn't he?' "Uh, would you mind telling me why I can't move? You didn't use your Shadow Imitation Technique on me, did you?"

"Huh? No way, babe." But the chuckling reverberating off the bathroom tiles said otherwise.

"So you're telling me that if I _could_ look down, I wouldn't see merged shadows?"

"Nope. Don't know what you're talking about. You're so tiresome."

"Um, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you washing your hair right now?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because, for some reason, I seem to be scratching my head without wanting to."

Shikamaru had to put his hands on the side of the shower wall to remain standing up straight. He was laughing too hard to maintain his balance. But his foot slipped, sending them both crashing to the floor. All Shikamaru could do was laugh and laugh.

Ino, no longer under Shikamaru's control, sat up on the bathroom floor. She was rubbing the new sore spot on her rear end. "Oh, you are _so _going to get it, mister."

Shikamaru, now able to gain footing back to his knees, opened the shower door just enough to peek around the foggy glass. He expected to see a beautiful blonde charging at him. Lucky for him, he got something a bit different.

"I believe we weren't finished." Ino had already managed to strip herself of her outer clothing. Shikamaru peered out of the shower just in time to see her skirt fall on the floor, pooling at her ankles. Ino walked over to the shower stall to the open slit of the sliding glass door, where Shikamaru was looking up at her with shock on his face. "Well, aren't you going to invite me in?" She was able to see all of him, and a little something was already half at attention.

Shikamaru, the genius that he was, happened to already be calculating his next moves. He already knew what her moves meant. He was actually pretty tall; so even on his knees, he was able to reach up to Ino's back and unclasp her bra. It fell to the floor, right in front of the shower. Ino kicked it out of the way. Then came her undies, which she gladly kicked off to somewhere behind her with just a flick of her foot. But before she put her foot down, Shikamaru, still on his knees, grabbed her foot with his right hand. He brought her foot up closer to him, causing Ino to bend her knee and lose balance a bit. She grabbed the outer handle of the shower door and maintained her balance as she looked down to see what her boyfriend was doing with her foot. He simply began to rub it with both hands. He rubbed circles with his thumbs, and then used his entire hand to caress and rub all over her smooth foot. Then he brought the foot up to his mouth, and he kissed her toes. He let her foot go, and it went down to form her first step into the shower. Shikamaru took hold of Ino's hand and led her in the shower the rest of the way, his left hand now running up her leg. Ino almost forgot her hair was still up, and she reached around to the back of her head and untied her hair from its binding. She flung it somewhere on the counter and let herself be drawn in to the shower.

Shikamaru still remained on his knees. He took the opportunity to put both his hands on Ino's hips. He kissed her stomach. He hesitated, taking his time with her. Then he began to move up, between her breasts, and began to rise as he neared her face. He wasn't even fully standing before their lips connected. Ino wasted no time in wrapping her arms around his neck. Shikamaru still gave her a slow, meaningful kiss. Shikamaru thought that it should be meaningful if he was taking the time to show Ino affection. But only after about a minute, Shikamaru's tongue came out to slide over Ino's bottom lip, begging entrance. Ino parted her lips and allowed Shikamaru's tongue to play with hers. They kissed passionately for several minutes, but Shikamaru's hands just couldn't stay still. His hands that were still resting on her hips began to rub circles. Ino's right hand slid up to Shikamaru's soaked black hair, which was hanging over his shoulders. Shikamaru's right hand slowly crept up her side, tickling her ribs. He slid his hand over to her chest, and immediately upon contact, Ino moaned into the kiss. Shikamaru snapped. He always snaps when he hears Ino's moans. Within minutes, the entire bathroom was fogged up.


	11. Friction

The dates carry on in the restaurant. There seems to be a lot of carrying on, in fact. This chapter contains a slight rated M moment.

* * *

Kiba couldn't stop beaming. He was just so happy to be in the company of Sakura Haruno. Not only is she drop-dead gorgeous, but she was insanely smoking hot tonight. It was driving him crazy. His unusual eyes were transfixed to Sakura's beautiful jade orbs. In the candlelight, they flickered with emerald green. Her pink hair framed her face with wispy layered bangs. And that genuine smile she kept flashing him was just killing him. Sakura is not only gorgeous, but she was very strong, very talented and very loving. Everyone knows that Sakura's problem when they were younger was that she cared too much. Kiba's mind then drifted off to Sakura's infatuation with Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura must have given up on him long ago. Talk about unrequited love. Sasuke was predictable, like any other Uchiha. Well, he is the _last _Uchiha, now. Sasuke was always stuck up. He gave off a presence like he was too good to be around them. Kiba never really cared for him. And when Sasuke betrayed Konoha and left, just like his murderous brother had done, Kiba didn't give him another thought. He didn't need to come back at all. Sakura was devastated. Kiba couldn't stand to see her in so much emotional pain. Luckily, Sakura had Naruto, who is like a brother to her. He promised to bring Sasuke back. It was quite a while before anything came of it. Sakura had distanced herself, knowing that Sasuke was not the same little boy with whom she had an infatuation. Sasuke actually once tried to kill her, for God's sake! If Kakashi had been a few seconds too late. . .Kiba didn't even want to think about it. Sakura is such a gentle, loving soul. Sasuke didn't deserve her. Sasuke could never be the man that Sakura needed in her life. Never.

Kiba watched his beautiful date take a sip of wine. He was amused at how Sakura had poured over the menu, studying the details of each entree. 'She looks absolutely adorable when she's deep in thought.' He was hoping she'd be thinking about him tonight. She brought the glass to her elegant lips and took only a little taste. Considering the delicious sound and cute face, mixed with her closed eyes, Sakura must have enjoyed the wine. Kiba suddenly felt a little thirsty. Too bad this place doesn't really have his kind of beer. And he doubted they ever would. He was very glad he brought Sakura here. She couldn't stop admiring the place. It was officially the nicest restaurant in Konoha. Only the best for his Sakura.

"So, Kiba, do you have plans next month?" Sakura remembered the beach house plans, and couldn't stop imagining how Kiba would look on the beach. 'He'd be wearing cute swim trunks. He'd be shirtless, of course. Under the blazing sun, his body would glisten with sweat while playing on the beach. As he ran, his muscles would ripple-'

"Yes, actually. My sister and I are required to attend a family function in a village a little North of here. We'll be gone for a few weeks, unfortunately."

'Damn. He could've been frolicking in the surf with me. He'd be all sweaty and sun-kissed while he played Frisbee on the beach.' Sakura quickly cut off that mental image after she imagined he'd catch the frisbee in his mouth. 'Down, boy.'

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Well, it isn't for another couple of weeks." He reached over the table and placed his right hand over Sakura's left. "I'd like to see you again before I leave on my trip."

Sakura's entire face heated up. "Oh, Kiba. I've actually had a wonderful time tonight." At that moment, Sakura noticed the restaurant was bustling a little bit. People were looking to the entryway, back towards the host. If Sakura had been eating already, she's certain she would've choked.

The first sight was magnificent. In walked two of her close friends, and they looked beautiful. Both wore genuine smiles, and eyes that shined with adoration and happiness. Sakura had never seen Naruto looking so handsome. She knew he borrowed the suit from a certain Uchiha, though. Her focus shifted to Hinata, who was just gorgeous! 'Is she trying to show me up? My goodness, she's beautiful!'

Then she simply choked on air. Seated at the table next to Naruto and Hinata was Sasuke. He looked as handsome as ever. But what made Sakura choke and cough embarrassingly was his date. 'Date? Oh, God!' It was one of the most shocking sights she could've imagined. There sat a very happy Karin. She was dressed in an ill-fitting off-the-rack prom dress getup. It was lipstick red, which was a bit inappropriate. It was a little too long, Sakura thought. And it clung to a few wrong places. But it clung to her cleavage, which is likely what she was going for. She might as well have showed up in the nude. 'Just cut to the chase, whore.'

Kiba noticed the sight, too. He wasn't too concerned with Sasuke and Karin, but he was glaring daggers at Naruto. Silently, Kiba slid his cell phone out of his pocket and used his thumb to draw out the keypad. He texted a friend of his to give him a heads up. Then he made sure his phone was on vibrate so no one would hear the ringer and slid it back into his pocket.

"Huh. Naruto sure cleans up nicely, doesn't he?" Sakura should have been wearing a smile on her face, but Kiba didn't see it. She looked shocked. He looked back at the two tables to see the way Karin looked at Karin.

'Good. I can work with this.' "Yeah those couples seem pretty happy, too. This must be a popular spot tonight, huh?"

Sakura resolved to not look in that direction at all. When Hinata looked over to her and smiled even wider, if at all possible, he wished Hinata luck with a wave and a blown kiss and turned back to the gorgeous man in front of her. "It is a nice restaurant."

Their food arrived. Kiba ordered a ravioli dish full of meat, which was to be expected. Sakura ordered the Rigatoni. Sakura saw the word "vodka" and knew she had to try it. "Ah. Rigatoni alla Vodka. It's delicious. It has a vodka cream sauce. Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"Oh. Mineral water, please. Other than that, everything looks great! Thank you!" Sakura was very pleased with her order.

"I'll be right back!"

Sakura and Kiba began eating, but Sakura couldn't help but feel a gaze on her. Her eyes casually slipped over to that direction. It was Karin. That bitch was glaring at her, those eyes full of hatred. 'Right back at you, slut.' Sakura began chatting with Kiba again, and he couldn't help but fall into her hands like putty.

* * *

"Oh, Naruto! This restaurant is beautiful!" Hinata liked the restaurant. It really was beautifully decorated.

"Yeah, that food smells great! Ooh, what did Kiba order? That looks good!" Naruto was practically drooling at Kiba's plate.

"Kiba? Oh, no! He's seen me! He could call my cousin!" Hinata hid her face in her hands.

"Neji? Is that bad?"

"If my father knows I'm here on a date without his permission, I could get into trouble."

Naruto's heart sank. He had to talk to Kiba. "Excuse me, Hinata. I'm going to just have a few words with Kiba." Naruto rose from the table, against Hinata's protests, and walked over to stand behind Kiba. He tapped him on the shoulder. "Kiba."

Kiba looked over to see Naruto looming over him. He was about to tell him to piss off, but he had a worried expression on his face. He glanced over at Sakura, and she looked concerned for her friend. He had to indulge the blond.

"How can I help you, Naruto?" He couldn't help but give Naruto a hateful look. He tried, but couldn't wipe the annoyance off his face.

"Listen. . .can I talk to you for a second? It's about Hinata and me." His pleading eyes gave a look of distress.

Kiba sighed. "Would you excuse me, Sakura? I'll be right back." Kiba and Naruto walked over to a secluded corner to talk privately. Sakura got up from her table and half-eaten meal to take Naruto's seat and comfort Hinata. Sakura had an idea why Naruto looked worried and why he wanted to talk to her date.

"My, Hinata! You look great! Absolutely gorgeous!"

"Thank you, Sakura. You look beautiful, too. I'm sorry for interrupting your dinner with Kiba. I asked Naruto not to."

Sakura took her hand. "It's okay, Hinata. I'm sure Kiba wouldn't do anything to jeopardize your date. He's been nothing but kind and sweet all evening. I'm sure Naruto will reason with him. I'll fill Kiba in on all the details when they come back. He'll listen."

"Oh, thank you, Sakura!" Hinata put her other hand on top of Sakura's. Their spirits lifted, and they began chatting lightly about how they prepared for their dates.

* * *

"Listen to them. They're so stupid. If I had to listen to that all day, I'd bash my brains in." Karin croaked out her fourth or fifth snide remark about Sakura. This one included Hinata, though, and Sasuke took offense. He took offense with the remarks she let slip about Sakura, too, but he didn't show it. He is a stone wall, of course. But he has had all he could take from Karin's mouth.

"That can be arranged, Karin." Sasuke didn't even look over to her. He sipped his glass of water and looked around, indifferent to either conversation. He couldn't help but notice that Sakura seemed to be enjoying herself. She and Kiba were getting close at their table. They were chatting and smiling. When he looked over earlier and saw Kiba's hand on Sakura's, he inadvertently activated his Sharingan and didn't notice it until Karin gasped.

Karin wasn't stupid. She noticed that Sasuke was looking over at his female teammate. She was hoping that he was just being overprotective, like the look she noticed from Kiba when he turned around to see Hinata with Naruto. The Sensor didn't fail to notice Kiba's hand pulling out his cell phone. She smirked evilly. She knew Sasuke wasn't going to notice her evil smirk, because the bastard had not paid attention to her all night. But she was hoping that would change soon.

"Sasuke, do you know where the restrooms are?"

"There's a sign, Karin. Look up." Sasuke's voice was laced with annoyance and boredom.

'Well, maybe we can fix that.' "Could you escort me, like a gentleman?"

"To the bathroom?" Sasuke turned to look at her this time. 'What's wrong with her?' "Are you sick?"

"Uh. . .well. . .actually, I'm feeling a little light-headed." She played innocent. "It would be best if you held my arm."

Not wanting her to cause a scene and embarrass him in a nice restaurant, Sasuke stood up with a sigh and walked around to Karin. He made a point to walk in between his and Hinata's table, however, so Sakura would be more inclined to notice him. She did. He smirked.

Karin noticed the smirk, and hoped it was directed at her. "Here, Sasuke." She extended her hand out, and he actually took it. He dragged her forward a bit so she could step around the table. He then led her to the back hallway where the restrooms were located. While walking in that direction, Karin snuggled close to Sasuke's side. He didn't push her away, like he normally would. Karin took this as a good sign and decided to press her luck.

The bathrooms didn't contain stalls; they were only big enough for one occupant at a time. The women's restroom was unoccupied. Karin smirked and pushed the door open, but didn't let go of Sasuke's arm. He stumbled into the little bathroom. Before he could regain his footing, Karin shut the door.

Karin had Sasuke pinned up against the wall. She immediately went in for the kill, aggressively attacking his mouth with hers. Sasuke couldn't even respond yet. He was too shocked. Karin succeeded in _shocking _the Uchiha. He had been thinking about how stunning Sakura looked. Her dress, her hair, her eyes in the flickering candlelight. . .he was thinking about her again, and unintentionally began participating in the rough kiss. He leaned down towards Karin, thinking about how great Sakura's lips would feel. He wrapped his arms around Karin, thinking that Sakura would feel wonderful in his embrace. Karin moaned. All Sasuke could think about was how delicious Sakura's moans would be. He turned them around so he was pushing Karin up against the wall. She reached down to unzip his pants. She stuck her hand underneath his waistband and began rubbing him through his jockeys. He was already semi-erect, thinking about his cherry blossom. Karin's other hand was in his hair, pulling him closer to her. She removed her hand from his pants, and he grunted for the loss of friction. Karin wrapped her leg around Sasuke's, and Sasuke's hand came down to lift it up to wrap around his waist. He had to pull her dress up a bit to do so. He imagined that it wouldn't be as difficult with the shorter, much nicer dress that Sakura was wearing. He rubbed Karin's thigh, thinking Sakura's would feel like smooth silk. He couldn't contain himself. Sasuke ground into Karin.

* * *

Sakura didn't miss the way Sasuke drew Karin to him when she stood up. She didn't miss the way Karin's hips swayed as they walked towards the back of the restaurant. Her throat felt a little dry. She excused herself from Hinata and moved back to hers to drink her glass of water.

Hinata followed her. Kiba and Naruto were still talking in a corner near the kitchen. "Are you feeling okay, Sakura?" Hinata couldn't help but notice how Sasuke flaunted Karin in front of Sakura on purpose. 'How terrible, Sasuke.'

"Excuse me, Hinata. I'll just be a minute. Let Kiba know I'll be right back. Why don't you call Ino? She might be able to help you clear this mess up. She needs a heads up, at least."

"Oh, okay. Good idea." Hinata returned to her table to take her phone out of her purse, while Sakura grabbed her beaded clutch and walked to the back towards the restrooms.


	12. Against The Wall

Kiba puts Naruto in a tough spot, but inadvertently hurts his teammate in the process. To make matters worse, it looks like Hinata isn't the only one who's hurt. . .

Rated M for small, random scenes. One is likely to be widely unpopular.

* * *

Naruto and Kiba retreated to a corner not too far from the entrance. They backed up against the wall, in the shadows. "Listen, Kiba. You don't know how long Hinata and I have been waiting for, like, the stars to align or something for this night to happen. Hinata likes me, and I like her. I'd really like to make the first move with Hinata, not with her dad. I know she's your teammate and-"

"You're damn right she's my teammate, you idiot. She's my _teammate_. I've been watching over her all these years, and I've had her back since the team was formed. And you know what? She's had my back, too. She's saved my life countless times. I'll do anything to protect her. So you," Kiba stuck Naruto in the chest with this index finger to further his point, "had better watch your step with her. If Hinata wasn't so in love with you already, I'd have your ass out of here and you'd be lying face-down on the sidewalk by now." Kiba's eyes read fury and frustration. Naruto knew he had to somehow convince him that this is a good thing for Hinata.

"Dammit, Kiba! You know that - wait. Did you say that Hinata _loves _me?" Naruto just plucked that word out from Kiba's rant. His mind instantly went into shock and chaos.

"Yes, I did. She's been in love with you since our early Rookie 9 days. She even told me before that she's liked you since before then. You two met before the academy. You-you. . .protected her from bullies." Kiba stuttered over that last statement, and his voice got softer when realization hit him. Kiba looked over to the girls, who were now sitting at Hinata's table. Sakura had her hand on Hinata's. She was comforting her. All this had actually ended up hurting Hinata's feelings. Kiba instantly felt remorse for texting Neji. 'He protected her. He stuck up for her and got beat up for her. This was even before_ I_ met Hinata.' Kiba looked at Naruto. Naruto looked worried, but honest. 'Come on, Kiba. This is Naruto. He is pure of heart. He'd never hurt Hinata.'

"Kiba. The second Hinata looked over at your table and saw you sitting there, she should have smiled and waved hello. But she didn't. Instead, Hinata panicked and worried that you'd let her family know that she was here with me."

"I did." Kiba looked down at his shoes. He felt a bit of shame. "It was a rash decision, and I'm sorry I did it now."

Naruto's heart sank into the bottom of his chest. "Who? Who'd you call?"

"I didn't call. I texted Neji."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Oh! Neji and Hinata are close! Surely he'll-"

Naruto looked to the entrance to see Neji Hyuuga. He was wearing regular civilian clothes, so he must've hurried over to the restaurant the second he received the text from Kiba. He looked none too happy. Neji saw Hinata first. Sakura had just stood up to grab her clutch off her table. Her back was turned, so she didn't see Neji coming. Hinata was digging through her purse, and was just too distracted. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. By the time she was putting the phone up to her ear, Neji stood right next to her chair. Hinata gasped. Neji, glaring at her throughout the entire process, snatched the cell phone out of his cousin's hand. He put the phone up to his ear and heard ringing. But whoever she was calling wasn't picking up.

* * *

*Ring ring*

Ino's cell phone was sitting on the kitchen counter. The shower was no longer running upstairs, and all that could be heard from Ino's bedroom happened to be moans and grunts, rhythmic heavy breathing and Ino's headboard frequently hitting the back wall. The wall paint has already been scratched up by their many strenuous activities, so no new damage from the banging of the headboard was really occurring to Ino's bedroom wall.

"Uh. . . . mm. . .oh. . .Shika. . .do you. . .h-hear. . ." Ino wasn't even able to concentrate on finishing that sentence, but Shikamaru heard the phone ring, too.

Shikamaru put his forehead on Ino's, which had blond strands stuck to it. His hair, still wet from his shower, fell around her face. "I swear. . .if you go. . .get that phone. . .there. . .will. . .mmh. . .be no beach for us." Through his groaning, Shikamaru made it clear that Ino was too busy with. . .other things. . .to answer her phone at the moment. He took the opportunity to suck on her collarbone.

Ino happened to be easily persuaded by Shikamaru when it came to their "intimate time." "Oh. . .o-okay. Y-you win. . .harder!" Shikamaru lifted Ino's legs so she could loop them around his hips, and he slipped his hands under her rear end to elevate her. Considering her increased moans and frequent use of his name, Shikamaru knew his calculations were correct. He couldn't help but infuse a bit of chakra into his thrusts, sending Ino into a different universe.

* * *

_"Hi! You've reached Ino! If you have any gossip for me, please leave a message!"_

Neji rolled his lavender eyes and hung up the phone. He tossed it onto the table, in front of Hinata. Hinata looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. A couple of tables noticed the scene and began whispering and staring. Neji crouched down and moved a little closer to help maintain a little bit of privacy in the dim restaurant.

"P-please, Neji. Y-you didn't t-tell m-my father, d-did you?" One lone tear fell from Hinata's eye, rolling down her beautiful cheek.

Neji's gut wrenched. He's always held a strong, close bond with his cousin. He didn't like to see her so fearful and worried. "Hinata, you have shamed the family." 'Oh, God. That probably didn't help.'

Hinata started crying, tears streaking her cheeks. Her unusual eyes darkened a bit.

Neji felt a tinge of guilt, and didn't like knowing he made Hinata cry. "No, Hinata. I have not informed anyone of this situation. But your father must be informed." Neji's lavender eyes looked on as a light of defiance burned in Hinata's identical, now glistening, eyes.

"I'm sorry, Neji, but I can't agree with you. I l-love Naruto. F-father would approve, b-but we just wanted t-this first date t-to just be b-between us. Please, N-Neji? Keep it quiet?"

Naruto appeared on the other side of Hinata. He reached his hand down and placed it comfortingly on her shoulder. "Yeah, Neji. We'd appreciate it. I'll do whatever you tell me to. I'll march right up to Hinata's father and formally ask his permission to court his daughter. Sasuke filled me in on that. Just please let this one night slide?" 'Where the Hell did Teme go?'

Neji battled in his mind. He had deep loyalty to his clan, but perhaps this wasn't a major issue. He didn't really think that Hinata shamed the family by going on one date with a guy with pure intentions. But he needed a second opinion. He'd have to think about it. But for now, he could let it slide.

"I have not made a final decision, but you are free to do as you please, for now. Uncle gave me the information that you are to spend the night with Ino Yamanaka. Is this still true?"

"Y-yes, Neji." Hinata's tears were drying up a bit. She looked up to Naruto and smiled. Neji noticed this, and took notice of Naruto's returned grin. 'He is trustworthy and has proven himself honorable before, on missions. He even talks of becoming Hokage one day. While that may sound far-fetched, his intentions are very honorable. That must mean he is honorable. I must discuss this further with someone.' Neji bowed to his cousin, but not to Naruto. After informing Hinata that she is to go directly to Ino's house from the restaurant, Neji turned and left, startling the host who did not notice his presence before. It's possible Neji used a jutsu to gain quick entry, but he didn't use anything to leave. He just walked out, deep in thought.

Hinata didn't waste any time in taking Naruto's hand off her shoulder and placing it between her own two hands.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. My cousin is overprotective. And he really does care too much about our clan. But he's right. What if I've shamed my clan?" 'Whew. No stuttering this time.'

"Did he tell you that? No, Hinata. Nothing about this - us - is shameful. I. . .I think I'm falling in love with you. I started noticing it just the other-" At about this time, Hinata fainted in her chair. 'Man! And my tone was so serious!' She fell out of the chair to her right side, away from Naruto. But she still held his hand, and he used that same hand to reel her back in towards him, sighing. He was a little amused, though. He knew he had caused this fainting episode. The blond hasn't quite caught on to how Hinata nearly always fainted around him when they were younger. He didn't sense a pattern at all. But even in his clueless state, he held on to Hinata and picked her up, bridal-style. This caused quite a scene in the restaurant.

"Hey, Kiba. We may need out orders to go. We placed our orders already, before I pulled you aside. If I leave money on the table, will you ask Sakura-"

"Don't worry about it, Naruto. I got this. Let me pay for dinner as sort of an apology." 'Just get here out of here, you idiot. Try not to hit anyone in the head with Hinata's feet.'

"Hey, thanks!"

"As a gesture to Hinata, not to you. You made her smile, but you caused her trouble by not asking permission. And now you've made her faint. You ruined her night out!"

Naruto looked at Hinata's unconscious face. 'Damn. True. But maybe she'll forgive me if she wakes up and I'm holding her. . .'

Kiba sighed in frustration again at Naruto. "I'll get Sakura to bring the food over to Ino's later. I heard her tell Neji she's spending the night over there." Kiba was exhausted at this point. He was caught up in this drama _almost _innocently, but sincerely felt guilty for texting Neji. He just wanted Hinata to be safe. 'I guess all our dates are over. Where the Hell did Uchiha and that sluttish girl go? And where is Sakura?'

* * *

Sakura walked down the hallway to the sign that directed her to the restroom. She couldn't help but stop to admire an oil painting of a beautiful villa off of a river or lake. When she thought about the dock at the Nara beach house that was just as pretty as the one in the painting, she began thinking about Kiba on the beach again, shirtless. She was very bummed that he wasn't going to be able to make it. Ino wouldn't have any problems at all accommodating him. 'Heh. He could just stay in my room.' Sakura lost her train of thought when she heard a groan coming down the hallway. She blushed. 'It seems someone else has the same mindset as my dirty one.' Sakura inched farther down the hallway towards the women's restroom. She didn't get too close, though, because she quickly realized the dirty little lovebirds were actually in there. 'Oh, so perverted! Who would have the audacity to do such a thing in a nice. . .' Sakura froze. 'I did not hear what I just thought I heard. It must be a mistake.'

". . .mm. . .oh, Sasuke!"

Sakura unfroze. Quickly. She turned on her heel to leave. The problem at hand was that she was wearing cute platform heels. Cute but deadly. Sakura tripped as she pivoted, thus sending her crashing into the wall against the bathroom. But she didn't stop. She quickly collected herself, pulled off the wall and stumbled right back down the hallway. Back to Kiba. Sakura couldn't believe it when a tear escaped her eye.

* * *

Ino was completely drained of energy. She laid sprawled out under her sheets. To be exact, Shikamaru was under her sheets. She was underneath Shikamaru. He had pulled out of her, but collapsed on top of her nonetheless, panting heavily. Ino gathered enough air to even her breathing out a bit. Now that she has collected herself, Ino reached up to Shikamaru's forehead and brushed some of his hair out of his face. 'Gorgeous man. My gorgeous man.'

"Shika, I think I need to get my. . .Shika?"

Predictably, Shikamaru was sound asleep in his girlfriends arms. His head was resting on her upper chest. He had one arm gripping the pillow behind Ino. The other arm was wrapped around Ino's midsection, gripping her like a teddy bear. Ino was pretty much squashing his hand, though he didn't seem to mind or notice. He was out like a light. His chest was rising evenly against Ino. His warm breath fanned out across part of her neck, since his face was aimed to the left. His breathing pattern and gentle breath on her skin made Ino not only very relaxed and comfortable, but it caused Ino to slowly drift off into a peaceful slumber.

'He always does this to me. His laziness must. . .be. . .infectious. . .but I love him, whether he's awake and telling me he loves me. . .or if he's asleep and dreaming about me. . .'

As Ino drifted into her own slumber, she thought she heard Shikamaru say those same three words she wanted him to tell her.


	13. The Still of the Night

After thoroughly embarrassing themselves in Konoha's nicest restaurant, our ninjas are filled with a lot of love and a little bit of heartache.

Rated M for a tiny descriptive scene.

* * *

"Oh, my God! Is she alright?" Ino flung her door open, only dressed in Shikamaru's shirt and vest with additional fluffy white slippers. She heard the doorbell ring a lot earlier than she had predicted either of her friends to return. She didn't expect Hinata to be back so soon, mainly because she left later than Sakura did. She was worried that something went awry before she opened the door to the scene of an unconscious Hinata. Something did happen, but it wasn't as bad as it probably appeared.

"Oh, she fainted again. But we have bigger problems. Neji knows we were there together tonight, at the restaurant. We had a chat. It wasn't so nice, and it really hurt Hinata's feelings." Naruto made a quick move to set Hinata on Ino's couch.

Ino gasped when Naruto gave her the information. "Wait. Carry her to the guest room. Back here." She ran around to the other side of the couch and led him down her hallway, which spanned a gap between the living room and the kitchen. Ino beat Naruto inside the bedroom so she could flip on the lights and pull back the floral comforter. Naruto carefully slung Hinata through the doorway at an angle to ensure that any extremities would not be banged up on the door frame. Naruto did as Ino instructed and placed Hinata on top of the yellow fitted sheet. Ino reached over Hinata's peaceful body to pull the flat sheet over her. It was a hot night, so Hinata wouldn't need too much warmth. Hinata was still wearing her entire outfit and accessories.

"Do you mind if I wait here? She'll probably wake up soon." Naruto wasn't going to take no for an answer; but it was Ino's house, and he knew to be polite and ask permission. He went ahead and pulled up the desk chair out from under the wooden rolltop desk in the corner, next to a bureau that matched the nightstand. He placed Hinata's purse on the nightstand. He had forgotten it was slung around his shoulder like a girl. He realized that he didn't mind carrying it for the girl of his dreams. Anything for Hinata. He had the chair pulled up all the way to the bedside. He was practically on the bed itself. 'It's a queen size bed. I could climb right in.' He smirked a little.

"Of course you can, Naruto. Just sit right here. I'll go get you two some water. I'll call Sakura to see where she's at. Maybe she can help if Hinata's sick." Ino was still a a little panicked.

"No, she just fainted. She'll be fine. Please don't bother Sakura on my account. She. . .she seemed happy with Kiba tonight." Naruto looked down on the bed, focusing on nothing in particular.

"Really? What about earlier? You told me that Sakura could possibly-"

"I think I was wrong," Naruto interjected. "I'm pretty sure that Teme has feelings for her. I know he used Karin tonight to make her jealous, but I don't think it worked. There's the problem. She might not feel the same way about him anymore. She was so happy tonight. She looked fant-"

"WHAAAAAT?" Ino cut Naruto off this time, now hearing for the first time that Karin, Sasuke's former teammate from his rogue days, was even in Konoha. Naruto thought he heard a thud from upstairs, but Ino was too busy yelling to take notice. "That - that tramp! Whore! Bitch! What the Hell is she even doing in the village? How did she make it past our security? She's banned, isn't she?"

"No. After the defeat of Orochimaru, I heard that Karin had returned to Grass Country. She might have relatives or friends that still live there." Naruto knew she'd jump through hoops just to get to Sasuke. No matter if ANBU were waiting for her on the other side.

Ino scoffed at that last sentence about the possibility of the girl having friends, since she was known to be so unpleasant. "Fat chance. That bitch couldn't buy friends." Ino walked out into the hallway to fetch a pitcher of water and glasses.

"I hope Sakura is alright." Naruto reached over and picked up Hinata's hand, thinking about the beautiful girl below, but also wondering if Sasuke actually hurt Sakura's feelings. He didn't mind if Sasuke and Sakura didn't date at all, but he couldn't let the team's dynamics be affected, either.

Within a minute, Hinata's eyes started blinking open.

"Na-Naruto? Is that you? Where am I?" Hinata started looking around, but didn't turn her head to look. She was still a bit dizzy. Ino ran back in with a pitcher of water in one hand and two tall glasses with the other. Naruto stood up so Hinata could see him. His vibrant locks were easy to decipher from the haze. Ino clanked the pitcher as she set it on the nightstand and rushed to Hinata.

"Oh, you're awake! And good news! Your date isn't even over yet!" She handed the glasses to Naruto. "I'm going to go upstairs and check on Shika. Just yell if you need anything!" Ino turned towards the hallway and darted out of the room. She swung into the kitchen to retrieve her beloved cell phone before she went back upstairs.

Ino was determined to wait for Sakura's impending arrival after her date, no matter how tired she was. Ino was very happy it was going well with Kiba, but she couldn't help but feel that a date with Sasuke would've felt right. Nevertheless, Ino was happy her friend was having a blast tonight. Sakura couldn't help but be saddled with work at the hospital when she wasn't sent on missions. Sakura was a strong ninja, and would likely pass the exams for ANBU on her first try. But not only are all these tasks time-consuming and interfered with Sakura's dating, they left very little time to be involved with anyone if she entered into a serious relationship.

Ino rounded the top of the stairs to climb back into her big, soft bed with her boyfriend. Only she seemed to be missing a handsome, intelligent boyfriend. He wasn't in the bathroom. He didn't go downstairs. 'Where'd he go?'

Ino walked up to her windows to make sure he didn't jump out of one of them for some odd reason. In the life of a shinobi, you never know when you need to make a quick exit. She was interested at finding her windows were locked and secure. 'Hm. Is he playing a game with me? Ha! What a romantic and kinky- whoa!' As Ino stepped backwards and retreated from the windows, she tripped and landed on the bed. 'What the heck? Is he dead?'

She looked down to find Shikamaru on the floor, fast asleep. He had slipped his boxers back on sometime when she hadn't noticed, so he had a little bit of coverage. He was curled up on his side, with Ino's pillow tucked underneath him. He didn't even wake up as Ino tripped over him. Then Ino remembered the thumping noise that came from upstairs and knew he must've fallen out of bed when she yelled at Naruto downstairs. She realized that she was so loud at this time of night that she likely helped pull Hinata out of her unconscious state, and possibly woke up the neighbors. In the time that he has known Ino to scream and shout, Shikamaru still jumped when she yelled randomly. But the ninja genius who happened to be famous for his laziness didn't seem to have the energy to pull himself up off the floor and back into bed. Ino giggled at his lazy antics. She simply grabbed another pillow and the fuchsia comforter off her bed and laid down beside him, curling up into his front. Shikamaru stirred, smelling Ino's scent. He squinted one eye open to see her dressed in only his shirt and Jounin vest. 'She knows better than to tempt a weak man. This will not go unpunished.' He smirked a little. But she snuggled in close to him, and he felt very comfortable. 'Well, maybe just this once.' He wrapped his free arm around her and drifted back off into a peaceful slumber. Ino relaxed, clutching her cell phone and her boyfriend whom she loved.

* * *

Sakura returned to the main dining hall right around the time Kiba finished paying the bills. He went so far as to intrude in the kitchen to find their waitress. He snuck up behind her as she was picking up Naruto and Hinata's plates to deliver and startled her, but she happened to find him very attractive. She was hoping he went through all that trouble to get her number. He indulged her fantasy and chatted briefly with her only to get her to quickly ring up the checks together and switch their food to to-go orders for a quick escape for them all. He wanted to save Sakura the embarrassment that Naruto was apparently immune to. The waitress didn't get a number, and he didn't ask for hers; but he did leave her a nice tip for her trouble.

Kiba walked out of the kitchen area to locate Sakura, startling yet another waitress with long violet hair and yellow eyes. He stepped out through the swinging door with a plastic takeout bag in his hand, earning a gasp from the young lady for his sudden intrusion. Surprise aside, the unknown waitress couldn't help but check out his backside in that dashing ensemble before briskly walking back into the kitchen. It went unnoticed by Sakura, who felt dizzy like Hinata. The knew she could feign unconsciousness, but she felt a little sick. Kiba spotted her as she popped out from around the corner. She looked shocked, worried or sick to her stomach. It could very well be all three, and he figured she must have known something went wrong between Naruto and Kiba's heated conversation, Sasuke and the tramp's disappearance or Hinata's dramatic exit. He thought she needed an explanation and a helping hand to get out of this place.

"Hello, beautiful. Are you here alone?" He smiled and let out a light chuckle. He held out his arm for her to grab onto for support. He gave him a nervous smile. She couldn't even hide her current state. She wanted to leave.

"Well, actually. . .I was hoping to find a handsome gentleman to escort me to the cute little park a block away from Ino's house. Would you care to accompany me?" Sakura tried very hard to manage a sweet smile, and succeeded. She needed some fresh air to help her clear her mind.

"Sure, that sounds like a great plan. We can leave right now."

Sakura might've been distracted and light-headed, but she couldn't help but notice the stares of the other patrons who were likely happy to see them leave. They caused a bunch of disturbances. She heard one older couple say, "They've been canoodling around this establishment like it was a high school prom! Good riddance." Sakura started blushing from embarrassment. She didn't notice the glare she got from both young waitresses who couldn't help but admire her handsome date. She tightened her grip on Kiba's shirt sleeve, though he didn't mind at all. They stepped out of the restaurant with a curt nod from the host.

The two young shinobi walked along the sidewalk, under the streetlamps. Besides the pesky bugs that disturbed them by buzzing and swarming in the warm night air, the glow from the lamps seemed a bit romantic. They reached the park that they passed on the way to Ino's in record time, or so they thought. They really enjoyed their time together. Conversation flowed effortlessly, and it was easy to get close to one another. Kiba loved making Sakura laugh because her voice was heavenly. Sakura couldn't stop putting her hands on Kiba's arms, neck and back. She liked how he felt under her hands.

Kiba walked Sakura to a picnic table close to the playground. The cute little park was deserted at this time of night, and was too small for delinquents to lurk anywhere. It was a relatively nice and safe part of Konoha. As Kiba sat directly across from Sakura, he set the plastic bag on the table and rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for.

"Aha! I hope you have room for dessert, Sakura." Kiba pulled out two small foam boxes and two forks. "It would probably be romantic for us to share, but I've heard this cheesecake is too good to share." He set one of the desserts in front of Sakura. She was surprised and flattered. She loved sweets! She opened the box and was not disappointed.

"Oh, how thoughtful, Kiba! It looks yummy!" Sakura stripped the plastic off the fork and wasted no time in gathering up a first bite onto her fork. Sakura brought the fork and a sliver of the chocolate raspberry cheesecake up to her mouth to inhale the taste first, letting the fork linger just over her soft, glossy lips. After approving of the aroma and initial taste from inhalation, Sakura allowed just the tip of the fork to enter her warm cavern. Kiba did not skip a beat. He licked his lips, and had not even opened his dessert yet. Sakura's mouth didn't close to surround the cheesecake bite. Instead, her tongue seemingly came from nowhere and entangled itself around the fork tines. Only then did Sakura's supple lips envelop the first bite. Kiba groaned slowly and breathlessly. Sakura looked up, surprised to hear the sound.

"Kiba? Whaf ish ik?" Sakura hadn't thought to swallow before she talked, earning a chuckle from her date again. She can be so elegant and sexy, but keep it casual and relaxing. He was amazed by her. She swallowed, which made Kiba groan yet again at the sight of the food slipping down her throat. It was the most sensual meal he had ever witnessed. After just one bite, he was hooked on her. They ate their dessert in a comfortable silence, only commenting on how wonderful the cheesecake was. Then it was time to walk Sakura back to Ino's. He explained the events at the restaurant after she stepped away from the tables. Sakura's face had shock written all over it, but he assured her that everything was alright now. She helped fill him in on the details about how Naruto asked for help planning this date as they neared Ino's sidewalk path to her front door. He walked her to the door, like a gentleman should.

"Wow, Sakura. I had an amazing time with you tonight. Even though our friends showed up and caused. . .well, they ruined dinner." Kiba blamed Naruto for ruining his date, even though he was the one who called Neji. But Naruto was just so annoying sometimes! Trouble follows him wherever he goes! Kiba and Naruto hung out when they were younger, frequently skipping classes with Shikamaru and Choji and pissing off Iruka. But the fact of the matter is that poor Hinata shouldn't have been brought to that restaurant without her father's consent, anyhow. That didn't help his guilt subside, though. Naruto had put just as much thought into his date tonight as he had, and his intentions were just as meaningful. Kiba was having a hard time accepting Naruto, but he just couldn't knock off his overprotective commitment to his female teammate. It's no matter to him that she's much stronger than she used to be. He hasn't accepted that just yet, either.

"I had a great time tonight, too, Kiba. Dessert made up for the inconveniences." Sakura sighed. "I wish you'd be able to come to the beach with us. We'd have a blast." 'And I want nothing more than to keep you dressed in as little as possible.'

"I was having an incredible time just being with you tonight, since the second you came down the stairs." Kiba took her hand in his, like he did at the dinner table. But he brought it up to his chin. Sakura's gaze softened. It was an incredibly romantic feeling.

"I hope to see you again before I go on my trip, but if I don't . . ." Kiba closed the gap between the back of her hand with his mouth and laid a soft, light kiss to her knuckles, "I hope you have a wonderful time. And I hope to see you the second I get back."

Sakura's eyes sparkled. She was blown away by his gentleness. Kiba is known as a lethal killer; but she received this handsome, sweet and romantic gentleman tonight. And did she mention _hot_?

"I hope to see you again very soon. Thank you for such a great night. I haven't had a good time in so long, but you completely astounded me. I like seeing this side of you." Her hand fell out of his grasp, and she brought it right back up to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. "I really like seeing you." She kept her hand there, and his hand covered hers to make sure it didn't go anywhere. Her touch felt so good.

"I really enjoyed seeing you tonight, too, _Sakura_." Hearing her name roll off his tongue in a husky voice drove her to madness. She leaned in slowly and cautiously, and he met her a little less than halfway to capture her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. They held the connection just like that for a few moments, while Kiba's hand on hers slid to her wrist. His other hand snaked around her hip, inching her a little closer to him. Sakura didn't seem to mind one bit. Kiba's lips started moving against hers, and Sakura immediately responded. Kiba kept it gentle, though. He didn't want to push her. Sakura tilted her head a little to the left, not wanting the kiss to stop. Her hand on his cheek began to rub the skin ever so slightly, sending shivers down Kiba's spine. The sensation caused him to press a little more into Sakura. Their upper bodies hardly connected, but it was enough to send a little jolt through Sakura's brain. She gasped into the kiss. Kiba pulled back, thinking he went too far.

"I-I'm sorry, Sakura. That was rushing it a bit, wasn't it?" Kiba nervously apologized.

"No! No! That was fine! I'm sorry. It's been a while since. . .since I've gotten so close to someone. But I enjoyed it." A smirk played at her lips, reassuring Kiba. But her fleeting moment while in Sasuke's lap ran thought her mind. She pushed it away. Kiba liked her smirk and reciprocated, flashing his wild canines. He took her hand off his cheek and laid a kiss to her palm, then released it.

"I'll see you later, Sakura. Thank you for accompanying me tonight."

Sakura adoringly watched him walk back towards the sidewalk and saw him wait to make sure she was safely inside before she used her spare key Ino gave her today to unlock the door. Smart Ino. She figured Sakura would stroll in a little later tonight. But Ino expected Hinata to stay out a little longer, too. Oh well. At least both girls had a wonderful time. Well, sort of. Sakura looked up at the top of the stairs to see a sleepy blonde with questioning eyes and a lack of pants. Sakura noticed the only things of her own that Ino was wearing were her white slippers. Now blushing, Sakura was too busy with juicy details and concern for Hinata to even bother worrying about her filthy dark-haired, dark-eyed teammate.

* * *

Sasuke was lost in a fog of instant gratification and lewd thoughts about a certain pink-haired girl. One moment, he was trying to make Sakura jealous with this annoying and embarrassing date that he scraped up at the last minute. The next moment he recollected, he was grinding his pelvis into Karin. A loud thump outside the bathroom wall had brought him back to reality. Much like one of his nightmares, Karin was pinned against the taupe wallpaper of this bathroom wall. She didn't seem to mind the chair railing on the wall, because her back was arched at the moment. Both of her thighs were wrapped around Sasuke's hips. Her unflattering red dress was pushed up all the way up to her lower abdomen, revealing a white cotton thong. The thin straps of her dress were dangling below her arms, allowing the top of her dress to pool below her chest. She wasn't wearing a bra, which was obvious with the plunging neckline. One of his hands was groping one of her breasts, and the other was playing with the elastic band of her thong underneath her dress. Sasuke thought the single most disgusting part of the act was that he was kissing her. The realization that her tongue was in his mouth made him want to gag.

Sasuke instantly retracted his hand from under Karin's dress, unintentionally making the elastic band snap on Karin's skin.

"Ow! Oh, Sasuke! You naughty boy!" Karin's hands roamed his hair and back, but lost their grasp as he dropped her on the bathroom floor without another thought. He zipped his pants back up, no longer feeling aroused. He decided to take his chances, since he was in a dim restaurant in the evening. He adjusted himself as best he could and combed his fingers through his obsidian locks. Then he made sure Karin's terrible lipstick wasn't on his face. He briskly walked out of the bathroom, leaving a messy and very shocked Karin sprawled out on the cold bathroom floor. He checked his face in a mirror on the wall in the hallway. He rearranged his tie and double-checked his hair. Then his eye caught a beautiful oil painting a little farther down the wall. Even though he had only been to the Naras' beach house once before, he thought the dock in the painting reminded him of their dock right off a river that feeds into the ocean. He recalled his trip two summers ago when he rented jet skis with Shikamaru, Naruto, Shino, Choji and. . .Kiba.

Sasuke noticed something shiny in the hallway, close to the base of the wall. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a sizable ring. Vintage. Heirloom. He looked it over, thinking this piece of jewelry was very familiar. He turned it around in his hands and noticed engraved letters on the inside of the band. The inscription inside read, '_Haruno_.' 'Oh, shit,' was all Sasuke could think. 'Sakura's been wearing this exact damn ring since she was sixteen. She was in this hallway. She must've-' Sasuke's stomach churned, and his Sharingan activated inadvertently as his eyes bulged out of his eyes.

Without even addressing the disgusting creature that sat on the bathroom floor, calling his name, Sasuke composed himself as much as he could and decided he needed to head over to Naruto's apartment to talk with him about this. He walked out of the restaurant after being approached by his waitress and, with her eyes glistening, told him that Kiba had paid the checks already but bolted before leaving his number. Sasuke growled at her, and she fled, squealing that a mad man was after her. But the mad man was after someone else. Now outside the restaurant, Sasuke gripped his cell phone in his pocket and whipped it out hastily. He simply went to his recent calls with one click and selected Naruto for a fast redial as he trudged down the sidewalk, deep in thought. He wasn't using his ninja abilities to speed up his distance. He needed extra time to think about what to discuss with his best friend, and how to fix this problem.

* * *

Naruto poured water into one of the glasses and brought it over to Hinata. She took it from him with a sheepishly muttered, "thank you." Naruto smiled at her. Hinata blushed at his smile, but her memory of Neji in the restaurant quickly came flooding back. Her face fell.

"Naruto? Oh, no! I didn't ruin our date, did I?" Hinata's eyes were full of shame and worry.

"What. No way! No matter what, I'm always happy just to be with you. Like now." He squeezed her hand a bit, and Hinata tried her best to stay conscious. Naruto noticed she was getting disoriented again.

"Hinata, are you okay?" He out his hand on her forehead. 'Maybe she _is _sick. She needs Sakura.' He had put his knee on the mattress in order to reach her forehead and check her temperature, and her cheeks heated up as if on cue.

"Naruto, please. . .you're embarrassing me!" Hinata tried to swat his hand away from her forehead to save herself a little bit of her already large amount of embarrassment, but she only earned a cute scowl from the concerned young man.

"But Hinata, you're burning up! Look! Your face is flushed!" Naruto noticed the front door opening and stood up. Hinata was silent, also wondering who it was. They both guessed Sakura with revealing glances to each other, and they were right. They heard Sakura tell Ino to put on some pants, and not to take the ones off of Shikamaru to cover herself up.

"He might not notice when he wakes up in the middle of the night and wants to come down here for a snack. There are certain things a skillful ninja should never reveal about themselves, and their genitals are definitely one of those things." All but Sakura and a sleeping Shikamaru cracked up at that information Sakura deemed appropriate to share. She was definitely chipper. She had a great time with Kiba, alright. Sakura heard her other two friends in the guest bedroom and ventured in that direction with their takeout Kiba had so graciously acquired for them. Before she even rounded the couch, she heard Naruto call her name.

"Hey, Sakura!"

"Shh, Naruto. People are sleeping in the house. And in the village." She walked into the room, ready to clobber Naruto if need be, But she spotted Hinata instantly and rushed to her side to check her over.

"Oh, sorry. Heh. Oh! Could you check up on Hinata? I'm afraid she might be sick. Her cheeks are flushed." Naruto looked concerned. Ino and Sakura found that so cute! Both girls giggled a bit at Naruto's obliviousness. It really was adorable, because he was only concerned for Hinata.

"I think she's fine, Naruto." Sakura winked at her best friend, glad to see she was fine. Hinata sat up. Naruto noticed the takeout bag and ran over to grab it. Sakura let it go just in time, because she was sure Naruto was going to take her arm off.

"Ah! Our food! Look, Hinata! We can still have a nice dinner. Care to join me?" He extended his hand to the lovely midnight-haired girl. She blushed even more and took his hand.

"Why don't you two sit in the dining room with some privacy? Sakura, let's set out some silverware for them." Ino nudged her friend to the kitchen. Both girls ran to the cupboards. Sakura took out two plates and the silverware, while Ino fished out her nice table linens. She ran over to the mantel in the living room to borrow two candle holders with white taper candles before turning to go back into the dining room. She set two linen napkins and the candles in a chair while she threw the beige linen tablecloth over her nice dining set. She then set the candle holders in the center of the table while Sakura assembled the place settings. Ino added the linen napkins before Sakura set the silverware on top of them.

"Perfect," Sakura exclaimed under her breath. Ino nodded in agreement. They gave a small high-five before running back into the kitchen.

"Cups!" Ino reached for two nice stemless wine glasses and grabbed a bottle of red wine from the lower cabinet. She had a wine rack inside her cabinet. Sakura eyed this with a tinge of jealousy.

"Why didn't I know that wine rack was there before, Ino-pig?" Sakura ironically smiled sweetly. Ino snorted like a pig to display sarcasm and went into the dining room.

"Grab those matches in the drawer next to the silverware, please." Ino placed the wine glasses above the plates and set the wine bottle and a corkscrew near the center of the table. Sakura fumbled in the kitchen drawer and ran into the dining room just as she heard Naruto's and Hinata's footsteps coming. But now she fumbled with the matches.

"I hate matches, Ino!" She grunted, losing precious seconds. She gave up and formed quick hand seals to light the candles.

"Smooth. Oh, here they come! Let's go!" Both girls ran out the side of the dining room towards the living room, while Hinata and Naruto took a diagonal approach and went through the kitchen. They weren't caught. Both girls ran up the stairs, undetected and giggling. Shikamaru was already back in Ino's bed, dressed in clothing he kept in Ino's closet.

'He must have needed to use the bathroom in order to actually get up,' Ino thought to herself. Sakura looked at him pitifully.

"You must've really done a number on him, Ino. He's out like a light."

"Actually, he's the-" Sakura cut her off with her hand over her friend's mouth. Sakura removed it quickly, since she was just trying to make a point. "Sorry about that. I shou-" She got Sakura's hand over her mouth again. Sakura was leaning out the bedroom door, listening. Ino didn't understand why. The two lovebirds were just eating cutely and needed their privacy. " Sakura, give them-"

"Shh, Ino. Naruto's on the phone with someone. I want to know who it is." Sakura didn't want to go all the way to the stairs, because then they'd be easily spotted. She heard Naruto talk on the phone in a hushed voice, but she couldn't hear enough to eavesdrop. She gave up and settled for sitting on the edge of the bed with Ino. Shikamaru opened his eyes when he felt the mattress dip at the foot of the bed. Now he was awake and sitting up, staring at the two kunoichi. They looked over to the sleepy genius and smiled.

"Troublesome," he said with a cracked voice. "There's no way I'm walking all the way home. I'm sleeping in the guest bedroom. You girls can pile in up here." Shikamaru earned a kiss on his cheek from Ino and another smile and nod from Sakura. Then he headed down the stairs. As he passed through the living room to crash in the guest bedroom, he found it interesting how Hinata was sitting at the dining table alone. Then he heard Naruto's hushed voice. He was in the kitchen, talking on his cell phone. He was already deep in conversation with someone. Intrigued, Shikamaru listened in a bit.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Teme."

'Sasuke Uchiha? Why is he calling Naruto at this time of night, while he apparently has relocated his date with Hinata to Ino's dining room?' Shikamaru began considering all the reasons why Naruto wouldn't have been eating in the restaurant. Since he was on his best behavior, he surmised that Naruto wasn't likely to have been thrown out. Something must've happened. But he wasn't too concerned with it. He's dating Ino Yamanaka, the girl with the loudest mouth in Konoha. He'll be able to hear all about it tomorrow, he was sure. Shikamaru continued to the hallway when he stopped again, right before passing in front of the door frame to the kitchen.

"Sakura is already back over here. The girls are spending the night."

"I'm staying for two nights, actually," Hinata piped up from the dining room.

Shikamaru inwardly groaned. He still lived with his parents, and he spends most of his time over here with his girlfriend. She has great outdoor furniture. But Shikamaru loves the lush grass just as well, if not more so. This sleepover certainly put a damper on his plans to cloud gaze and nap all day. 'They'll probably want to sit in chairs on the patio and sunbathe for their swimsuit tans.' He's been over this before. Not only is Shikamaru dating one of the most vain girls in the village, but he's studied female habits enough to know how troublesome they can be. 'Gee, can't wait until we spend a lot of time together at the beach house.' Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the thought of much more of this annoying trouble.

"Oh, if you think it's necessary. Okay, then. But make it quick. It's getting pretty late." Shikamaru heard the dull tone in Naruto's voice.'He must not enjoy how he realized it was late.' Naruto hung up his phone and walked back to the dining room, away from Shikamaru. Shikamaru shook his head and distanced himself from that mess. He was sleepy, and he was ready to crawl up in the bed that Hinata had already messed up. 'At least I don't have to pull the comforter back myself.' He shut the door completely to fend off intruders before he turned out the light and finally got some peace and quiet.

* * *

**Author's note**: Thank you for your reviews! It's nice to hear that readers can get into this story, because I enjoy writing it! The beach party is soon to come! Don't blink while you read, because you might miss something!


	14. Beach Bound

WARNING: TIME SKIP by less than a week.

Author's note: Due to the new setting and more contemporary tones of the story, be advised that we will likely find our shinobi out of character. I'm aiming to stay true to some personalities. But hey, it's fan-fiction - let's live a little. Circumstances can call for changes in people. So just go with it! It'll be fun! Average age of the Rookie 9: 19-20 years at this time.

Tiny rated M insinuation at the end of this chapter (not involving Karin).

* * *

The day before their planned trip to the Naras' beach house, Sakura received a phone call from Naruto.

"Sakura! Hey!"

Sakura had to pull her cell phone away from her ear so she wouldn't go deaf. "What is it, Naruto? I'm busy packing." She went easy on him, since he actually sounded really excited. The tone of his excitement had her clueless as to what it could be about, and she wanted to hear this.

"I got permission to date Hinata!"

Sakura gasped into the phone. "Oh my gosh, Naruto! How wonderful!"

"You wouldn't believe it, but Neji put in a good word for me!"

Sakura let a smirk slide onto her face. She knew a little more than she was letting on. "Oh, what a surprise! He has been giving you cold glances in town since that night."

"Yeah, well, I guess he changed his mind or something."

_

* * *

Flashback to last night:_

_Naruto finally made it into the Hyuuga compound. Unfortunately, he was caught by guards after snooping around the walls to find a weak spot. He didn't find one, but they found him._

_Naruto was knocked unconscious within seconds of his attackers appearing around him. He was subjected to an embarrassing scene of his body being dragged into the main house on the Hyuuga compound and, bypassing the main entrance and entering through an entryway he wouldn't have seen by himself, was dumped in a small and cold room below the main house. After Naruto regained consciousness, he found that he was sitting up straight in a chair in the middle of the room. The light was dim; the only color he could see above, below and around him was a cold and depressing gray. A voice popped out at him, and a tall man with Hinata's eyes stepped out of the shadows._

_"Are you looking for someone?" As the man stepped closer, Naruto realized who he was. Not only was he caught, but he was now being held prisoner, in only what he could think was a dungeon of sorts, on the Hyuuga compound and interrogated. . .by the clan leader. . .who just happened to be his girlfriend's terrifying father._

_"Uh. . um. . .yes, sir." Naruto hung his head low. He couldn't look the man in the eye just yet._

_"I was told that you are a friend of my daughter's. Is that correct?" Hiashi slowly paced back and forth in front of Naruto._

_"Y-yes, sir."_

_"Well, why were you intruding upon the compound? You could have easily come through the main gates. You looked suspicious, and we were forced to take action." Hiashi looked at the boy's hair and thought it was certainly unusual. He saw the markings on Naruto's face and knew exactly who he was._

_"S-sir?" Naruto looked up to see Hiashi staring at him. The Hyuuga clan leader then crept back up to Naruto and forced him to look at him._

_"You are known to be the friend of the last remaining Uchiha, correct?"_

_"Yes, sir. Sasuke is my best friend." Naruto was starting to get a little confused._

_"Hinata is not the clan heir. I have no wish to arrange her marriage. Therefore, I have allowed her to be courted by anyone of her choosing. But I must approve of her choice."_

_Naruto stared at Hiashi, wide-eyed. "Uh, s-sir-"_

_"I am well aware that you are interested in courting my daughter. But there are stipulations."_

_After one of the most frightening and uncomfortable situations Naruto had ever faced, a servant led Naruto to the first level of the Hyuuga compound's main house. He was left in what he believed to be the foyer. He could see the staircase. Even this small portion of the home was elaborately decorated with luxurious furniture, decor and beautiful architectural details. Naruto was instructed to take a seat in a comfortable wingback chair next to a table that held an expensive vase with a pretty floral arrangement. As he continued to look around, he heard a familiar voice creep around the corner._

_"What too you so long?"_

_Naruto looked up to see Neji Hyuuga saunter into the room. He had an indifferent look on his face, but he seemed interested in striking up a conversation with him._

_"Neji? Well, I was just coming over to-"_

_"You intended to scale a wall and break into my clan's compound? At what point did that seem like a good decision? You are lucky you didn't blow your chance."_

_Naruto was interested in the last sentence that flew out of Neji's mouth. "Blew my chance?" Neji doesn't commonly use such improper words._

_"Yes. You could have lost your chance at dat-" Now Naruto cut him off._

_Naruto was laughing, his eyes brimming with tears from amusement at Neji's choice of words. "Ha ha ha! You must've been hanging around TenTen too much!"_

_Neji narrowed his lavender eyes at the blond boy, who was currently slapping his leg and failing to contain any laughter._

_Hiashi looked on from another room, stepping back to retreat to another part of the main house. 'Hm. It appears that Neji has a friend in this young boy, too. You had better be right about him. An innocent young idiot with great fighting capabilities, huh?'_

_"You laugh? You are lucky that I decided to mention you to my uncle. You had a chance of either paying for your crimes upon the clan or succeeding in permission to court my cousin."_

_Naruto looked up with confusion. "You told on me?"_

_"I. . .I knew my uncle would not oppose. Hinata has changed since you displayed romantic interest in her. My uncle was not so quick to punish you, but he was not so quick to trust you. I gave him the information I could, while the Uchiha assisted."_

_Naruto was happy, knowing his best friend pulled through. But Neji helped, too?_

_Neji looked to the top of the staircase. There stood TenTen, who likely just emerged from Hinata's bedroom. She wore her hair in the usual buns, but she was also wearing a light purple sundress with a white layered shirt underneath to keep the dress casual. She wore basic sandals, as well. She glided down the stairs effortlessly, her eyes never moving off of Neji. She held a knowing smirk on her lips. When she reached Neji in the foyer, she simply gave him a peck on the cheek. Then she turned to Naruto._

_"It took some convincing, but I think Neji was more conflicted about the decision than Hinata's father was! Hinata will be down in a minute, Naruto. She wanted to go grab a quick bite to eat with you. She mentioned ramen." TenTen winked at Naruto and slipped her hand in Neji's. They walked out the front door with polite nods to excuse themselves. TenTen practically floated out the door, and Naruto noticed Neji also had a little spring in his step. 'I think I know what chanced Neji's mind,' Naruto thought to himself. But a scuffling noise led his eyes back to the top of the stairs.  
_

_Hinata quickly hopped merrily down the stairs to greet her official boyfriend. She giggled, and bore a gigantic smile on her face. Naruto instantly stood up to meet her at the bottom of the staircase. She jumped in his arms, and he was more than happy to catch her.  
_

_"Naruto! How'd it go? They didn't hurt you, did they?" She checked him over for wounds or other signs of harm._

_"I'm fine, but I think my pride took a beating. So. . .how about some ramen?" Naruto gave her a very wide smile._

_"You read my mind." Hinata took his hand in hers and led him out the front door._

* * *

"Wow, Naruto. So, are you guys packing for the beach trip?" Sakura walked over to her closet to pull out a few items.

"Oh, yeah! Hinata's really excited. I'll pack tomorrow."

"Dobe! We're leaving tomorrow! Don't wait until the last minute to pack, you idiot! You're going to hold us up!"

"Ah! Okay, okay. But it'll have to wait until later. I'm taking my _girlfriend _out to lunch!"

After hearing that, Sakura just could not be mad at Naruto.

"Adorable, Dobe! Well, just get it done today. Ask Hinata or me to help if you need to. I want to get there as soon as possible! I need a vacation, believe me!"

"I'll call Teme. I bet he isn't packed, either. I need to look my best on this trip, and he hasn't failed me yet!"

Sakura fumed at the mention of Sasuke. 'That jerk.' "Oh, he's still coming?"

"Well, yeah! He's one of our buddies! Of course he's invited! It's just that he isn't bringing a date."

"Oh? What do you mean? Did he already break it off with Karin?" Sakura's mind raced with thoughts of Sasuke using his Chidori on that bitch.

"They never were together. Sasuke just needed a date to dinner that night. He hates Karin. Didn't you know? It's obvious. He can't even stand to look at her."

'Well, maybe he put a paper bag over her head or something. . .' "Well, I'll believe it if I see it. I need to call TenTen and make sure she's coming."

"What? Is Neji coming, too?" Naruto sounded panicked.

"Duh. He's her boyfriend. It looks like Sasuke, Choji and Lee will be the bachelors on this trip."

"Is Kiba coming?"

"Nope. He's out of town with his clan." Sakura sighed in a very depressed manner.

"Then you're a bachelor, too." Naruto chuckled on the other end, which made a vein in Sakura's head throb.

"It's 'bachelorette,' stupid. And I'm not a bachelorette; I'm seeing Kiba. It's just that he won't be there. A bachelor is a single guy. If Hinata wasn't coming, that wouldn't make you a bachelor."

"Oh. Heh I knew that!" Over the phone, Sakura heard the doorbell. "Hinata's here! Gotta go! I'll talk to you later! And I promise to pack tonight!"

"Naruto, don-" Too late. 'He's such an idiot. But I sure wish Kiba was coming with us. There's no harm in flaunting him in front of Sasuke. That bastard. But what Naruto said about Sasuke's feelings for Karin. . . he sure didn't seem to hate her at the restaurant. What happened?'

Sakura continued packing, selecting sandals to take with her. She was due in about half an hour to meet Ino at the flower shop for travel details for the morning journey. 'Ino! She'll know what to do.'

* * *

Sasuke awoke from a midday nap to someone knocking at his door. 'Whoever it is will have to wait until I can get to the door.' Groaning, he began his journey inside the Uchiha house to the hallway. Then he stomped down the staircase towards the front door. He opened it, surprised at who was waiting on the other side.

"May I come in?" Ino stood at the door, still in her apron that she wore while working at the flower shop.

"Hn. Of course." Intrigued, Sasuke stepped aside to allow Ino to walk inside. He seriously could barely stand Ino when she was talking to others, so he wasn't sure if he could stomach a one-on-one conversation with her. But he was too interested in finding out why she wanted to see him. He shut the door behind her, while she calmly walked into the living room. Sasuke followed her.

"Can I help you with something?" Sasuke honestly had no clue as to why Ino would come out here to the Uchiha compound just to talk to him.

"Well, I think I can help you." Ino's leg swung around to cross over the other one. She held a comfortable position on the couch, and betrayed nothing by her appearance. Sasuke was left dumbfounded.

"Help me? What do I need help with?" Sasuke kept his cool, indifferent demeanor in check, but his mind was trying to mull over what her true intentions could be.

"Sakura. You like her, right?" Ino looked at him dead-on, just waiting for him to give up so easily.

"Like her? What do you mean?" Sasuke was officially freaking out by now, but only on the inside.

"I know, Uchiha. I see the way you look at her when you think no one will notice. Naruto and I think you two would-"

"Damn that Dobe. Have you two been spying on me? I told Naruto to knock it off. He must have misinformed you." 'Dammit! I was nervous while talking! She'll know I'm lying! Please don't invade me, Yamanaka! I know you can invade my body and essentially rack my brain, you crazy bitch!'

Ino brought her hand up to her mouth to suppress a giggle. "No, Sasuke. We've just noticed."

"Then you are mistaken."

"Am I? What a shame." Ino raked her fingers through her long blond ponytail.

"Yes, you are. I have no interest in my teammate. Now, if you could-"

"Kiba will not be joining her on this trip." Ino calmly let a valuable piece of information roll off her tongue.

"Hn. Why should I care." 'Aha. Perfect.'

"I know you do. Shikamaru and I are taking the master bedroom, naturally. Hinata and Naruto are taking a room for themselves. Neji and TenTen are sharing a room, too. Bug-boy isn't coming. Choji and Lee already agreed to share a room, so that only leaves you and Sakura to share the last one. So, unless you'd rather sleep in a hammock on the back porch. . ."

"I could share the room with Choji and Lee."

Ino scoffed. Really? Think about it. There's only two beds in that room, anyway. The other rooms only have one."

"I can sleep on a cot or a mat on the floor."

"No, you're going to stay in the room with Sakura."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, letting them tell her she's overstayed her welcome. But his mind was in utter chaos. Ino kept talking randomly about the travel arrangements for tomorrow, but all he got out of it was that they were all leaving early in the morning. By the time he was able to escort Ino out of the living room and practically shoved her out the door, he needed another nap. 'Tiring bitch. But this certainly can work to my advantage. Just as long as that gossiping twit can keep her mouth shut about me and Sakura. The info came from Dobe of all people, and I think my lack of care threw her off my trail. She might not be inclined to pursue the thought much further.'

* * *

Neji removed himself from TenTen's dining table in her small but cute apartment. He brought his plate over to the sink to rinse, thinking it was so thoughtful for her to have made them lunch. It was very good, and he was very happy to have someone take such good care of him. With his clan status, he didn't expect someone to treat him quite the way TenTen took care of him. He knew she cared for him deeply.

"Neji, honey? Could you come here a minute?" He heard TenTen's voice from the small hallway.

Neji walked down and into her bedroom, where she had an open bag filled with items for their trip to the Naras' beach house tomorrow. She was going through her drawers and closet for items she's like to take with her. He looked on her bad and saw a few shopping bags next to the open bag she was packing.

"Did you buy something new for the beach trip?"

TenTen popped out from the closet. "Yep! Do you want to see?" She had a smirk on her face, which indicated she was up to something.

"Alright. Is it a new dress?"

"Nope." TenTen walked over to one of the bags, picked it up and carried to the bathroom.

"A new shirt?"

"Uh-uh." Neji could hear her clothes rustling. She was going to show him. A tiny smirk played at Neji's lips. He loved it when TenTen played games with him. It was better than training.

"Shorts?"

She giggled. "No."

"Well, is it. . ." Neji didn't get to guess again, because the door to the bathroom slowly creaked open. Out walked TenTen in a new itsy-bitsy bikini. It was a very revealing string bikini with red and white horizontal stripes. TenTen's chest was barely covered by the triangle top. TenTen strolled over to the edge of the bed, a little more than arm's length from Neji. She reached up to her hair buns and began to untie them. In a few seconds, her long brunette locks fell down her back. Neji could barely breathe.

"Do you like it? It's new. I was shopping with Hinata and Ino yest-"

Neji flew to TenTen and immediately crushed her to his own body. He slammed his lips to hers none too gently. His left hand gripped her right arm strongly, and his right hand slid across her toned stomach to move around her side to find its way to her back. His fingers sought and found the ties to her bikini top. TenTen moaned into the kiss when she felt his fingers working.

"Oh. . .Neji. . ." TenTen found her body being led to the bed. The back of her legs hit the edge of the mattress. Not wanting her to fall backwards and leave his lips, Neji crouched slightly and picked his girlfriend up by her hips. TenTen instinctively bent her knees and brought her legs up to slide around Neji's waist when she felt him lift her up. TenTen pulled back to collect air.

"Neji. . ."

Neji brushed some of her long hair out of her face to push it behind her shoulder. "Hm?" His mouth descended on her shoulder, kissing his way around wherever he pleased.

"Don't. . .ruin. . .my new. . .swimsuit. . .ah. . ."

Neji smirked a little and continued disrobing his scantily-clad girlfriend, just as he felt her hands on the edge of his shirt. 'This is going to be a fun afternoon.'


	15. Opening Up

Welcome to Shady Shores, a beautiful luxury beach community!

Author's note: I'm attempting to make these chapters longer in an effort to keep things going and wrap things up at a faster pace. This story is getting too long. Let's make it happen! It's a SasuSaku fanfic, so of course we need more action from them! Let's make that happen, too!

1/13/11: I didn't think this chapter was really fitting into the plot well, so I revised the first scene. I specifically edited the dialogue between Sasuke and Sakura the night before the trip to the beach.

* * *

At approximately 8:30 p.m. on the night before the trip. . .

'Hn. Finally.' A handsome raven-haired Uchiha waited in the nearby tree for a pink-haired kunoichi to come back from an afternoon with her best friend. . . the Yamanaka girl. He kept his chakra well-hidden, so as not to be detected by anyone.

Sakura walked up to the entrance of her apartment building, a few shopping bags in one hand. Her apartment is on the second floor. Before she made it to the stair railing to run up the stairs to her front door, she turned back to her friend to wave goodbye.

"I'll see you in the morning, Ino!"

"Great! I'm so excited!" Ino had a huge smile on her face. Why not? She's carrying shopping bags!

"Me, too! Good night!" She turned back around to lug her own few bags up the stairs and into her apartment, Sakura detected a presence nearby. She didn't immediately recognize it, but it didn't seem threatening. But he was making his presence known now. Within seconds, the person in question appeared behind her.

"Hello, Sasuke."

"Hn."

Sakura turned around to face him. He was standing right behind her with his body facing her, but his face was directed off to the side. He didn't want to make eye contact. 'But he obviously wants to engage in some kind of contact, or else he wouldn't be here,' Sakura thought to herself.

"What do you want, Sasuke? I need to get inside. My feet are killing me."

Sasuke did something quite unexpected. He closed the gap between them and reached over to take the bags from Sakura. Sakura had not expected the kind, gentlemanly gesture at all, and was left stunned. She was just frozen in place. He might as well have stuck a kunai in her side.

"Are you coming? I don't have a key." Sasuke ascended the first few stairs before calling out to her, bags in his hand. He didn't turn around to face her, though. As indifferent as it seemed, he was actually trying his best to hide a small blush.

"Uh. . .yeah. Yeah." Sakura fumbled in her casual bag to dig out her keys. She knew she found them when they clanked loudly. She took her first step, but saw that Sasuke was already waiting for her at her front door. So she opted to use a bit of chakra and leaped to the second level, right onto the ledge of her small porch. She hopped down right next to Sasuke, but he still didn't even look at her.

'What could he possibly want with me? He doesn't seem to want to look at me.' "Here. place the bags over here." As soon as she opened the door, she led him inside.

"Thank you. For carrying my bags, I mean." Sakura pulled the straps of her bag off her shoulder and placed it down on a little side table close to the door, where she had instructed Sasuke to place her shopping bags. "Do you. . .want something to drink? I wanted to make some green tea."

"Sure." Sasuke looked around at the apartment he had only seen from the outside. 'It isn't as girly as I thought. But her bedroom is.' He walked into her living room. As Sakura clanged items in her kitchen, Sasuke took the time to look around. He walked over to the mantel above her fireplace. She had a few cute apothecary jars filled with decorative rocks, seashells, etc. She also had a few framed pictures decorating the mantel. There was the first official picture of Team Seven, of course. He looked at his much younger self, staring off with a sullen look on his face. 'Is that really what I looked like? I looked so angry and disconnected. Yet Sakura and Naruto never gave up on me. All this time, and they've never stopped caring about me. They're. . .the closest thing I have to a family.'

Sakura's cherry red electric tea kettle started whistling. Sakura didn't want the water to get too hot, or else the tea will be bitter. She poured the water into the cups and scrambled to find her tea. She peered around the corner to check on Sasuke. He was looking at her pictures. 'Does he even remember? He really hurt our feelings back then. But I'm glad he came back, virtually unharmed.' She walked back into the kitchen to finish the tea.

Sasuke knew Sakura poked her head around the corner to check on him. He put the photo back down on the mantel and walked around the corner to watch what she was doing. He rounded the corner and stood on he other side of the kitchen island, watching her move around to make the tea. He saw her put the tea leaves in the empty teapot. Then he saw her pour hot water from two teacups and begin to brew the tea. Sakura turned around to put the tea back in the cabinet when she jumped back.

"Ah!" Sakura clenched her chest and dropped the container of green tea. "Sasuke! You sc-well, you surprised me." 'Let's not inflate his ego. He probably gets thrills from scaring people.'

Sasuke smirked, and didn't even flinch when Sakura jumped and dropped the container of green tea. It rolled close to Sasuke's side of the kitchen. Sasuke bent down to pick it up. As he bent down to grab it, Sakura looked at his hair. 'It looks good enough to run my hands through. . .' Sakura quickly shook her head. 'That's just past emotions talking.' Sakura backed up to tend to the teapot.

Sasuke brought the tea container back over to Sakura. He stood right behind her. He leaned in a little too close and bent his head slightly over her shoulder. "Smells good."

Sakura panicked. She couldn't say anything. Her throat could only emit a low squeaking noise. Sasuke placed the tea container back onto the counter, next to Sakura's right hand. He barely brushed her hand when he retracted his, but Sakura felt a shock. It was like Sasuke was statically charged. He walked back to the kitchen island and took a seat on a bar stool. 'Hn. She must still feel something. Or else she would've probably clobbered me by now. Games can be fun.'

Sakura counted the two minutes before the tea was ready. She held the teapot by its handle and picked up two teacups from the counter. She carried the items over to the kitchen island, where Sasuke was now sitting. She set the kettle on a trivet and placed one teacup in front of Sasuke. She placed the other teacup next to Sasuke's. Then she picked the teapot up again and poured their tea. She set the teapot back down before she took her seat next to the Uchiha. He took one sip of the tea. 'Perfect.' Sakura took a slight sip of her tea before she turned to Sasuke.

"So, what brings you out here? You're a ways away from your house."

Sasuke put his cup down in front of him, admiring the hand-painted sakura flowers adorning a light brown branch. 'Cute,' he thought.

"I wanted to talk to you about. . .Karin." 'I need to let you know that the only feelings I have for her are hatred and disgust.'

Sakura nearly spit out her tea. "What? Why?" 'Oh, God! I don't want to hear about this!'

"Well, she won't leave me alone. I'm not interested in her. She calls my cell phone at all hours."

Sakura was deeply confused. 'I guess Naruto was right. But something happened at the restaurant, right?'

"Haven't you blocked her number?"

"She calls from different phones. Payphones, when she can find them. Her friends' phones, and even her hotel phone. She must've switched hotels at least three times. She's only been in Konoha a couple of weeks. It's driving me crazy. think _she's_ crazy." Sasuke put his face in his hands, to emphasize his point and to clue Sakura in on his exasperation.

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"You're my teammate, right? Even when I busted my face up, you healed me. Can you help fix this, too?" 'She did help me, even though she was angry with me. She's nice to have around. I want to be nice for her to have around, too.'

Sakura noticed that Sasuke's entire voice changed. His tone was more casual. It showed a little bit of emotion to it. 'He's really come a long way. I mean, this is only with his close friends, but it's still nice to see that he isn't totally frigid. He's making progress. We need to reinforce these improvements in his attitude.'

Sakura sighed, knowing she was going to cave in. "You know that I will help you and Naruto in any way possible. You two guys mean so much to me." Sakura put her hand on Sasuke's shoulder as comfort and emphasis. It was Sasuke's turn to shiver. 'Is she charged with electricity?'

"Um. . .well. . .do you have any ideas? I need a little help with Karin. I'm afraid I'm going to hurt her. Anytime I hear her voice, I just want to vomit."

Sakura couldn't help it; she just had to ask. "Did you and Karin. . .get together. . .while she's been in town?"

Sasuke blanched. "Um. . .we. ..she did come on to me. But I pushed her off of me. Literally. It wasn't pretty."

Sakura had to know the details on this. "What do you mean? When?" 'Does this mean nothing happened? Wait. Why do I care so much?'

"At the restaurant. I escorted her to the restroom area. She lied and told me she was dizzy. I shouldn't have helped her, but I was afraid she was going to make a scene in the middle of the restaurant."

"Oh, you missed the embarrassing scene in the restaurant. Oh! Wait. . .was that when. . ." Sakura's bright green eyes lit up when a few puzzle pieces fit together.

Sasuke nodded. "Right after Kiba and Naruto stood up. She led me in there and practically assaulted me." 'Why am I telling her all this so freely? I guess. . .I feel like I can trust her. Sakura has never really hurt me on purpose. . .unless I deserved it. But I've hurt her. So many times. Perhaps enough time has passed, and we could work on that. Together, as a team. Naruto and I are already closer. It couldn't hurt to get close to Sakura, too. After all, she is my teammate.'

"So. . .she attacked you. What took you so long? You two sounded like you were enjoying yourselves, actually." Sakura looked down into her teacup.

Sasuke stared at her incredulously. "Sakura. . ." 'Shit.' Sasuke sighed, knowing for sure she knew exactly what happened. Well, maybe she didn't know everything. He reached into his gray hoodie pocket. He twirled the ring around in his fingers.

"No, no. I'm sorry. It's none of my business. I just hope you were. . .you know. . careful." Sakura looked straight ahead, not wanting to make eye contact with him at the moment. She looked very disappointed, and wanted him to feel it. Love interest or not, she is still there for him. "You know I'm always here. You're my teammate. I also consider you a personal friend. I've known you for so long. We've. . .been through a lot."

Sasuke wrapped his arm around Sakura's shoulders comfortingly. "I know. I let you down a lot. I don't want to keep letting my teammates down. I've got a lot to work on. But I've been like this for so long. . ." Sakura's arm left his shoulder to cover his left hand, which was currently clutching her left shoulder.

"Sasuke. . .you're not drunk, are you?"

Sasuke removed his arm from her shoulder and recoiled. "No. I just needed your help. To be. . normal. To be happy again." 'To love. I need you to love me.'

Sakura was taken aback. "This is really sudden, Sasuke. What's making you think like this?"

Sasuke sighed again. This was very hard for the Uchiha. But he wanted to open up to Sakura. She wants someone to be able to talk with her, not someone who mostly communicates with 'hn.' "When. . ..when I was a little boy, I looked up to my father. And to Itachi. I wanted to be just as successful as my brother. The entire clan considered him a genius. I tried so hard. . but I finally got my father's approval when I succeeded in a family jutsu. I was seven. My father actually. . said he was proud of me. I wanted to grow up to be a member of the Konoha Military Police, and maybe even run it one day. I wanted. . ."

Sakura put her hand on his shoulder again. "You know we're all proud of you, right? You came back. You made a good decision. You're here. With us. And you made us all very happy. Naruto would never be this happy if you hadn't come back."

Sasuke looked at Sakura with his peripheral vision. "Did I make you happy?" 'I want to make you happy. I wish I could tell you.'

Sakura retracted her hand, bewildered by his question. 'I guess I opened this door myself.' "Well, of course. I always wanted you to come back. I tried. I even gave up at one point, but Naruto. . .well, I never really gave up on you, if there ever was a chance that you'd come back. Naruto is just too persistent."

Sasuke was realizing he still had some serious emotions to grapple with. But his lust-filled emotions for Sakura, as he was realizing, stemmed from deeper feelings. As a young teen, he had cravings for lust all the time. But right now it's only Sakura. Sasuke thought about what his teammates meant to him. They must really _love _him. Sasuke can't understand that anymore, but it's right in his face. Beforehand, he was only sure his mother gave him unconditional love. But the kindness that he remembered from his mother really shone through Sakura. Back in their younger days, he just thought Sakura was naive and blindly infatuated, like the other girls. He also thought she was weak and would never amount to much. Oh, how he was wrong. She proved everyone wrong. But her passion and emotions, though now matured much like herself, remained intact and pure of heart. Sakura turned into a fine kunoichi and a well-rounded person, indeed. 'I can only be proud to have her as a wife. There can be no substitution.'

Sakura took another sip of her cooling tea. She looked back to Sasuke, who looked back at her and gave her a genuine smile. 'Oh, my Lord. He can smile.' Sakura beamed, her heart warmed.

"I need to go. I haven't packed for the trip yet." Sasuke put down his teacup.

"Oh! You need to! Well, I guess I'll see you at the beach house, then."

"Hn." Sasuke got up to leave. Sakura walked him to the door.

"It was. . .nice talking with you, Sakura." 'I wish I could spend more time with you. I want to hold you. I want to hide you from others and keep you all to myself. I _do _care for you. I know I do.'

Sakura leaned forward to give Sasuke a quick kiss on his cheek. Sasuke didn't stop her. It was a pleasant, friendly kiss for being a gentleman. Sasuke actually appreciated her gesture.

"Good night, Sakura." Sasuke then turned and was already gone in a flash. 'I'll make you love me again. Just wait.'

"Good night, Sasuke." 'Oh, these feelings. . .'

* * *

Around 2:00 p.m. the next afternoon. . .

Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, Choji and Shikamaru already arrived at the Naras' beach house. It was gorgeous. It was a three-story house right on the beach. The wood siding was painted a friendly bluish-gray with white trim. The Naras did a great job keeping this place taken care of. The first floor consisted of a gigantic modern kitchen, dining room, breakfast nook, great room with a large stone fireplace, smaller living room with the largest television, and the master bedroom. There was also a study and a library, but those were for Shikamaru's parents and specifically off-limits to guests. They likely even went so far as to put seals on the doors. The second floor was mostly extra bedrooms, containing four suites with their own bathrooms. Only one second-floor bedroom didn't have a veranda, but instead had a gigantic window partially facing the ocean. The basement was definitely the central headquarters of indoor fun, with a rec room filled with a pool table and plenty of things to keep them busy of it rained. There was also a media room with a home theater system. They could seriously pop some popcorn and watch movies in there.

"Wow, how long do you think the others will show? They're slower than we thought." Ino pulled a few of her bags up the cute stone pathway to the main doors.

"They weren't too far behind us. They didn't leave too late." Shikamaru carried in his one bag, along with his girlfriend's other bags. 'Troublesome, of course.'

"I think they're coming now! Hi, Hinata!" Sakura noticed when Naruto and Hinata were coming, and Neji, Lee and TenTen were hot on their trail. They all brought the commotion and excitement indoors to unpack.

"Ah, this will serve as a nice, youthful place to relax and regain our youthfulness!"

Ino whispered to Sakura, TenTen and Hinata, "That doesn't even make sense. Maybe he should sleep in the basement." The girls giggled. Ino walked over to the bar. "Who wants sake?"

They all soon gathered in the great room that contained the bar, sipping sake and other poisons while joking around and unwinding. Shikamaru had his arm around Ino at the bar, as she was playing bartender. Choji, Neji, Sasuke and Lee were engaged in a card game. Sakura and Naruto were giggling and chatting. Hinata and TenTen were busy planning their next hairstyles for tomorrow's sopping trip in the small luxury town of Shady Shores.

Before long, it was after 11:00 p.m. Ino was the first to speak up. They were listening to top hits on the radio, and Ino had to shut it off to be able to take over it. I Ino can't hear herself over the music, then it must be pretty darn loud. Either way, she got her point across.

"It's getting pretty late. Ladies, if you're going shopping with me tomorrow, then you're going to hate yourself in the morning if you don't hit the sack soon." Ino picked up a few bar glasses and put them in the dishwasher in the kitchen. Then she returned to the great room to clean up a little more at the bar area. Shikamaru, of course, was already asleep. She found her boyfriend hunched over in a chair near the card game. She shook him awake and was able to drag him to the master bedroom with a chakra-infused arm.

Naruto yawned. "Oh, man! I'm tired, too. Drinking makes me sleepy!" Hinata giggled. "Let's go to bed, Hinata!" She quickly obliged, red-faced. This, of course, will be the first time she and Naruto have spent the night together. Sakura and TenTen know Naruto is an honorable guy, but Neji didn't let the two out of his sight until they reached the top of the staircase and disappeared out of sight. TenTen, Sasuke and Sakura looked up at Neji to see him engage his Byakugan.

"Really, Neji? You can't trust them? You know better." TenTen didn't pass up the opportunity to whack Neji in the back of his head.

"Ow! You know that hurts when my eyes are like that." Neji rubbed the back of his head, ashamed and embarrassed. He stood up, knowing TenTen was ready to go to bed. He turned to the other guys at the card table. "We can finish this game later. I'll have to retire for the night." He bowed and walked to the stairs with TenTen in tow. TenTen turned to Sakura and waved good night, practically skipping.

"I think I'm going to go to bed, too, guys." Sakura could feel the negative effects of her many drinks that Ino kept bringing her.

"Ah, my sweet, sweet Sakura blossom! You certainly need your rest, my beautiful flower! Have a pleasant slumber tonight, and feel refreshed and renewed in the morning!" Lee stood respectfully and offered to escort Sakura to her bedroom.

"No, no, Lee. That isn't necessary. I'm rooming with Sasuke, remember? An escort isn't necessary." Sakura looked over to Sasuke to help diffuse Lee's ranting. Sasuke was already giving him a cold stare. 'My, already helpful. And I didn't even ask yet. He's just. . .helping a teammate. Right.' Sakura turned on her heel and hastily flew up the stairs. 'I need a shower after that trip. And now, thanks to Ino, I smell like alcohol. If I didn't know any better, that blonde was _trying _to get me drunk.' Sakura didn't realize it yet, but she hadn't once thought about Kiba since arriving here.

"I'm hungry. I'm going to grab a snack and hit the hay, too." Choji tossed his cards on the table and called it a night, before heading towards the kitchen.

"Uchiha! Would you care to indulge me in another rou-"

"Hn." Lee only got a basic response and a cold glare. That meant 'no.' Lee retired for the night, defeated.

Sasuke took the time to pick up all the cards and put them back in the box. Then he picked up the remaining glasses and put them in the dishwasher, just like Ino had done. He couldn't help but notice the blonde girl's glances between himself and Sakura. She was plotting something, alright. She kept shoving cocktails with hard liquors in Sakura's hands. She also didn't let Sasuke's up get very empty. He wasn't complaining about that, since he had a very high alcohol tolerance; but he was concerned for Sakura. She was swaying a bit, near the end. He loaded up the dishwasher and decided to check on Sakura. He ducked around the corner on his left to find the hallway containing the Naras' study, library and general off-limits area. He also found the back staircase. That was convenient, since his room was closer to this set of stairs. His and _Sakura's _room. He went back to the foyer to grab his bag and went back through the kitchen to ascend this staircase.

As Sasuke rounded the top of the stairs, he remembered that he hadn't seen the room yet. Ino only told him earlier that they were sharing the last room on the left, if they were going up the main stairs. Choji and Lee shared the room the farthest to the left of the hallway, which was pretty much secluded from the other rooms. Sasuke was thankful for that. 'Lee needs to stay away from my Sakura. My _teammate_, I meant.' He shook his head, getting flustered and confused again.

Sasuke found his door pretty easily. The door across the hall had a seal on it, pretty much daring anyone to try to come in. 'That must be Neji and TenTen.' Sasuke sweat-dropped. And he could literally hear Naruto's voice talking excitedly about mini-golf tomorrow. He was next door. 'Great. At least Dobe is honorable enough not to create a ruckus next door with his girlfriend. This is not a house of ill repute.'

Sasuke put his hand on the doorknob and turned it. He didn't hear Sakura moving around at all. 'I hope she's already dressed. . or maybe she isn't.' With a tiny smirk on his lips, Sasuke opened the door a bit more quickly than originally planned. He found no one. 'Uh oh. Where is she?'

"Hello?" Sasuke's eyes immediately darted to the bathroom. But the door was open, and the light was turned off. 'Where is she?' The bed was still fixed. 'Wait. What the Hell, Yamanaka! It's a Goddamn king-sized bed! Only one fucking bed! You definitely play hardball, you blonde bitch!' Sasuke turned his head a little more into the room to find a sliding glass door barely open behind white panel curtains. His room had a veranda with a great view. Sasuke discovered this the second he stepped out onto it. He could smell the salty sea air. Under the moonlight, the sand was beautiful. He could see patches of grass coming out o the rolling sand dunes close to the walking paths. 'Beautiful.' Then he heard someone stir. Sasuke looked over to his right to find Sakura asleep in a patio chair. He sighed and walked over to her. She was still dressed in the same pair of khaki shorts and the red tank top with the white circle that she traveled in. She did somehow manage to take her sandals off. They were in front of her chair. 'Well those aren't going anywhere. They can stay out here for tonight, since it isn't going to rain soon.' Sasuke looked at the sleeping kunoichi. She must have brought her white bedspread from home; because there it was, tightly wrapped around her small body. The alcohol gave her a catalyst for a deep sleep. She seemed very comfortable. Sasuke took no time in picking her up by slipping one arm under her knees and using his other to hold on to her back. He kept the large blanket wrapped around her. Her magnificent pink hair cascaded over one of Sasuke's arms. It felt like silk. Sasuke quickly brought Sakura inside and made his way to the bed. 'When I envisioned laying a beautiful woman onto the bed which we shared, I didn't really imagine it'd go exactly like this. But I'll take it, if I get to be beside Sakura. I can trust her. I find a lot of comfort in her.'

Sasuke gently laid a sleeping Sakura on the bed, on the left side. He made sure her head rested on the pillow. The blanket came off of her when her arms slunk to her sides. Sasuke didn't like the idea that Sakura wasn't going to be able to change into something more comfortable. He looked over to the corner where her bags were put. 'I wonder. . .' He walked over to them and quietly unzipped one of them. He browsed through the contents, not finding pajamas. 'I wonder which ones she brought? The plain white ones? The red and white ones? The. . .' The second bag contained a light pink tank top with matching longer shorts. But they had a cherry blossom print. 'Perfect.' Sasuke removed the set from the bag and walked back over to the slightly drunk and heavily sleeping pink-haired kunoichi.


	16. At The Beach! Finally!

**What kind of fun can a group of ninjas find in a luxury beach resort town?**

Author's note: At this point, Sasuke may be stalking and in love with Sakura but actually is still in a bit of denial about it all. He still doesn't believe that he can love. He wants her to love him and just be with him so badly without thinking about reciprocating those feelings, but he just doesn't realize that he does love her already. Sasuke doesn't realize the compassion he's already shown. During this time, Sasuke not only does his best friend a huge favor by helping him get the girl of his dreams, but he realizes Sakura is the girl for him. The only girl he'd like to repopulate his clan with is someone like Sakura. But that's how he keeps thinking about it - clan repopulation. He isn't even bringing his own feelings into the equation. He forgot how emotions feel, and he isn't listening to his own heart. Interestingly enough, Sakura seems to have the same problem. And they're both stubborn.

My apologies for not updating in the usual timely manner! Not only am I trying to get a lot more done in these chapters to wrap up the story, but I am also hoping that a little more time spent on revising and chapter length will produce a better story! And my holiday vacation is over, so I have less time right now!

* * *

Sasuke gently laid a sleeping Sakura on the bed, on the left side. He made sure her head rested on the pillow. The blanket came off of her when her arms slunk to her sides. Sasuke didn't like the idea that Sakura wasn't going to be able to change into something more comfortable. He looked over to the corner where her bags were put. 'I wonder. . .' He walked over to them and quietly unzipped one of them. He browsed through the contents, not finding pajamas. 'I wonder which ones she brought? The plain white ones? The red and white ones? The. . .' The second bag contained a light pink tank top with matching longer shorts. But they had a cherry blossom print. 'Perfect.' Sasuke removed the set from the bag and walked back over to the slightly drunk and heavily sleeping pink-haired kunoichi.

Sasuke reached the left side of the bed and gazed at the beauty before him. 'Damn the beach, the stars and the moon. God, she's beautiful. I know I have trouble with loving and caring, but I know I can make you love me again, Sakura. Just give me a chance.' He plopped the set of pajamas close to Sakura's form and pulled Sakura's blanket completely off of her. Then he shook her shoulder to try to jar her awake. Her eyes opened, and she came to. . .kind of. 'I never gave her a chance when she would've been at my side in a second, but now I know I need her at my side.'

"Mm. . .Ino-pig. . .stop it. . ."

Sasuke stared at her, any romantic thoughts thoroughly interrupted. 'She has mistaken me for Ino? What the Hell are they doing at these slumber parties? Hn. I should spy more often.' "Sakura. Sit up."

Sakura's body fell backwards and hit the mattress hard. Sasuke didn't know whether it was in defiance or even if she had control of her body at the moment. Sasuke sighed a defeated sigh, once again, and propped her up into a sitting position. Sakura started to fall back again, so Sasuke stabilized her by putting his hands on her hips. He looked up at her face. He realized that Sakura could be sleeping or just in a stupor; either way, Sakura was not present. Sasuke took one of his hands off of Sakura's hips to grab the light pink tank top. He turned back to Sakura to proceed with dressing her. He tossed the new tank top in Sakura's lap while his other hand was still holding Sakura up. His now free hand went back to Sakura's other hip, only to begin pulling her shirt upwards. Sakura didn't seem to know what was going on until Sasuke's hand grazed her skin on her stomach. She emitted a low, guttural groan. All semi-conscious Sakura knew was that whoever was touching her felt good. Electrifying.

"Again." Sakura's eyes were open a little more now. Sasuke could tell. But they were still glazed over. 'She probably doesn't even know it's me. She's probably thinking about her boyfriend.' But Sasuke couldn't resist the urge. With all of Sakura's stomach and back exposed, his left hand that was stabilizing her fell to the small of her back. His right hand began a trail from her waist to the drawn-up top she was still wearing. Sasuke removed his roaming hand to fully remove the shirt, pulling Sakura's arms up in the process. Sakura didn't protest at this. Sasuke knew it felt a little wrong, but he wanted to feel her under his hands. Sasuke's right hand cupped her left breast through her bra, and Sakura let out a definite gasp. Her back arched into his left hand. Sasuke could already feel himself getting hard. Sakura's arch was so intense that she began to continue leaning back until Sasuke got the picture that she wanted to lie back. But Sasuke followed her. Both of his knees were on the mattress, and both of his hands were on Sakura. Before he freed his left hand, Sasuke took the opportunity to reach a little bit and unclasp Sakura's plain white bra. She fell out of it rather quickly. And Sakura wasn't slowing down yet.

Sasuke didn't want to slow down, either, and it was almost to the point of no return with him. Sasuke put both of his strong arms on either side of Sakura's head while he loomed over her. Sakura brought her leg up to rub against his leg. Sasuke concealed a small groan in his throat. She was pushing things along, but he knew she was impaired. None of this seemed right. Sakura's hands came up to Sasuke's chest, shoulders and neck. Sasuke thought she was going to kiss him, so he didn't move too much. Sakura simply leaned up to whisper in the Uchiha's ear, "Don't stop yet, Sasuke." Sasuke groaned just hearing her say it in a seductive tone. Sasuke's lips crashed into hers. Sakura's fingers on one hand found the back of his head to swim in his onyx locks, while the other held on for dear life onto his shoulder.

Sasuke pulled back for air, and to look at Sakura or any signs to stop. She was drunk, after all. "Sakura, do you know what you're doing?"

Sakura could only reply, "Of course. I'm making out with you." She giggled at her own response, a clear sign of the alcohol.

Sasuke looked into her eyes. She was looking right up at him and saw him, though she wasn't really focusing on anything in particular. He went back down for a deep, passionate kiss. His lips swept hers. Sakura's head tilted to accommodate their activity. Sasuke quickly licked at Sakura's bottom lip for entrance. Sakura gasped a little, never remembering being kissed this passionately before. 'What was in that cocktail, Ino?' Sasuke had to wonder if Ino slipped a little extra something into those drinks. Sasuke's warm appendage entered her equally hot cavern. Sakura couldn't do more than groan and make tiny grunting noises, her inexperienced tongue quickly losing the battle for dominance in the kiss. Sasuke's tongue eventually won out, reveling in how good it felt feeling around in her mouth. He explored and resumed rubbing his tongue with hers in a sort of a game.

Sasuke's right hand abandoned its post to the side of Sakura's head and slowly ran down her left side, making Sakura shiver. His hand played with her short bottoms. He ran his fingers all across the waistline, receiving moans from the girl underneath him. His fingers slid over to the button-fly and popped it open. Sasuke's tongue left her mouth and trailed over her jawline and over to her neck until he found a tender spot to suck on. Sakura was still inebriated, but her fuzzy mind sure wasn't backing out now. Sakura was very displeased with the amount of clothing Sasuke still had on. Her hands batted his hand away from her and made their way to his own zipper. Sasuke was very amused, smirking into their kiss.

Sakura's hand slyly slid her way around his waistline, much like he had done. With only her seductive touch, Sasuke had to break their kiss to try to control his panting. Sakura's fingers grazed the zipper of his pants, and painstakingly unzipped them. She was looking at Sasuke the entire time. He finally peered down to see an evil smirk on her lips, showing teeth to give her a cruel look. He broke eye contact and laid his forehead against her shoulder when her fingers snuck inside his pants and bypassed his underwear to fondle him. Sasuke sucked in a very harsh breath. He had even more trouble letting the breath escape. Sakura could feel how hard he was, and that just gave her an even bigger smirk. She was a little shy about this, considering she's never gone this far with anyone. But the liquor gives he a bit of courage. Her slender fingers with coral pink polish encircled as much of his girth as she could. 'Wow. The Uchihas are. . .very well-bred.' She stroked him slowly. Sasuke's groans that he was trying to suppress into Sakura's shoulder began to cause his body to shudder. Sakura was enjoying this almost as much as he was. She tightened her grip around him and began to stroke him more confidently. Up and down, back and forth. Sasuke couldn't take anymore once she began to speed up a little. He began to buck into her hand. Sakura only tightened her grip a little and stroked more, twisting her hand position and rubbing her thumb over the sensitive head.

"Sak-Sakura. . .gn. . .hah. . .I'm. . .you need. . .to stop. . ." Sasuke buried his face in the crook of his neck. He was sweating, his black strands sticking to his forehead and to Sakura's skin when he mashed his forehead against her.

Sakura wanted to finish. She squeezed and stroked, caressing and rubbing to overstimulate him. With every stroke of her hand, with her other hand now cupping him underneath, Sasuke didn't have much time left. Sasuke didn't want it to end so quickly, so he finally brought his hand down to cover hers, stilling her hand. Worked up, Sasuke captured her lips again in a rough, almost bruising kiss. His grip on Sakura's hand instantly let up. Sakura saw an opportunity and started moving her hand again, along with Sasuke's. Sasuke couldn't bring himself to stop her right now, so he just gripped her hand. He was too close. It felt so good to move along with Sakura's own movements. It was even more stimulating. Sakura gripped firmly and squeezed the base, and Sasuke jerked, somehow managing to move his hips and lean at an angle to spill on the sheets. Sakura milked him, and Sasuke just trembled for over a minute before he realized what they had just done. 'Oh, God. She's drunk. And I took advantage of it.' Guilt was the next sensation to wash over Sasuke.

Sakura giggled, not aware of the expression on Sasuke's face. She started running her hands over his chest, trying to coax him. Sasuke grabbed her hands and stuck them to her chest.

"Sakura, that's enough." Sasuke's bangs partially covered his glazed and guilt-ridden eyes. But he was met with glazed, bloodshot and defiant green eyes.

"You're spoiling my fun." She put a very sexy pout on her lips. Sasuke tried his best to avoid looking at it.

"Why don't you lean back?" Sasuke pushed her backwards towards her pillows, an idea in place to wrap this up pretty quickly. He scooted back to sit just in front of her feet. Sasuke picked up her left foot and used his thumbs to gently rub slow, calming circles. He heard Sakura let out a deep sigh. 'Perfect.' Sasuke's right hand left her left foot to tend to her right foot, mimicking the same treatment. After he knew it was working, Sasuke began rubbing up to Sakura's ankles. He could feel Sakura relaxing more, if her sighs weren't enough indication. Sasuke soothingly massaged Sakura's lower legs, from knees to ankles. Then he looked up to see what he was going for: Sakura was peacefully asleep, breathing deeply. 'Finally. God, I hope she doesn't remember any of this in the morning.' But he heard Sakura groan and looked to see her trying to sit back up. "You've got to be kidding me!" Sasuke crawled back over Sakura's body, fed up at this point. He got Sakura's attention by his presence and added weight. She looked straight up at him.

"Wha. . ." Sakura was definitely out of it. Her eyes couldn't sit still like she was struggling to see and focus, indicating that her vision was blurred. Sakura was seeing double. Double Uchiha could be very overwhelming, even without alcohol involved.

Sasuke had no choice but to get her to sleep quickly. So he activated his Sharingan. His Sharingan swirled, sending Sakura into an alternate world to lull her to sleep. It only took a few minutes before Sakura was truly asleep.

Sasuke sighed out of exhaustion and moved to clean up in order to do major damage control. He moved Sakura's blanket over her, noticing he still needed to dress her for bed. 'That'll have to wait.' Sasuke went to the top and bottom corner of the bed to remove the top sheet. He was able to pull it out enough to bundle onto the bed. Then he moved over to the other side of the bed to loosen that part of the sheet. He went back to Sakura's side of the bed to slip the untucked portion of the sheet out from under her body. She eased the sheet off of her. She didn't stir. Sasuke bundled the sheet up and tossed it near the bedroom door. Then he moved to collect the pajamas he meant to put on her earlier and placed them on the nightstand so he could find them later.

'Why did I think that was a good idea? I was thinking dirty thoughts, of course. But I got more than I bargained for.' Sasuke opened his own bag and dressed himself in a white t-shirt and blue sweatpants with an Uchiha crest before dressing Sakura in the pink cherry blossom pajamas and placing the scattered clothing of the previous day in a laundry hamper in the bathroom. He put the sheet on the bottom. Sasuke brought a damp washcloth out of the bathroom and gently wiped Sakura's hands clean, careful not to leave any signs of bad behavior to explain in the morning. Sure that all evidence was erased, Sasuke disposed of the washcloth in the same place as the clothing and sheet. Only then did he feel that he could finally retire for the night. Sasuke slept under the comforter, while he made sure Sakura was comfortably wrapped in her familiar blanket.

* * *

Poor Sakura awoke to a splitting headache. 'Oh, my God. Everything hurts. What. . .what the Hell did I drink? Did Ino drug me?' Sakura's mind couldn't really concentrate on anything in particular at the moment. She groaned and slowly rolled over to her side - only to collide with a warm, stiff figure. Sakura remembered exactly where she was and sat straight up in shock. She leaned over and peered at Sasuke. She had only gently pushed up against him before she realized he was there, and it didn't seem to have been enough to wake him. 'Wow. He looks worn out. The boys must have kept him busy last night.' Sakura took in his peaceful, startlingly handsome features. A typical Uchiha face, Sasuke's features were so pronounced that they appeared barely softer than chiseled stone. She admired his nice arms, or as much as the t-shirt sleeves allowed her to see. He had really put on extra muscle with his strenuous training. Sakura was wondering when he was going for ANBU. 'Maybe he already has?' Intrigued, Sakura noticed he was lying on his left side. That gave her the opportunity to check his upper arm or a tattoo. She carefully lifted his shirt sleeve up towards his shoulder, but saw nothing. 'It's usually on the left arm, isn't it? Darn! I wish I knew! I bet he'll go out for it this year, though. His recent C-Class mission didn't really sound like good use of the time for a ninja of ANBU status.'

Sakura let his shirt sleeve fall back into place before she rolled out of bed and walked into the bathroom, he head still throbbing. She quickly realized she was wearing her pajamas, but for the life of her couldn't remember even putting them on. 'When did I even go to bed?' Sakura came out of the bathroom a few minutes later to retrieve her bag. Sasuke was still asleep. Oblivious to any of last night's events, Sakura admired his peaceful face once again. She couldn't help but comment on his state.

"He must've really enjoyed himself last night." Sakura carried her bag into the bathroom with her. She set it on the counter before she closed the door again, preparing for a shower. If she had looked back before the door closed, she would've seen the amused smirk adorning that angelic face of his.

Sasuke waited until he heard the shower running before he stretched and sat up. He looked over at the nightstand and read his clock on his cell phone. I was only a little past 6:30 a.m. Still groggy, Sasuke walked over to the bedroom door and opened it. He walked out into the empty hallway in search of another bathroom. He found an office area that appeared to be a hobby area for Shikamaru's mom. Luckily, it contained its own half bathroom. After a few minutes, Sasuke walked back to his bedroom. He wanted to turn on the television, now noticing the 32" plasma screen that was mounted to the wall. He searched through the nightstand to find the remote control. He quickly found it and turned on the news to see if he was missing anything.

About twenty minutes later, the shower turned off. Sasuke patiently waited until Sakura came out of the bathroom in a pink robe. Her hair was still damp. She walked out of the bathroom to retrieve another bag and spotted Sasuke sitting up on the bed.

"Oh! Good morning." Sakura paid little attention to him before she retrieved a hair dryer from her bag. "Oh! You need a shower, too! You go ahead." Sasuke couldn't mutter a thank you before a knock appeared on the door. Sakura was closer, so she walked over to open the door.

A still-drowsy Hinata stood on the other side.

"Good morning, Sakura. I'm glad to see you up and about." Hinata was in yellow pajamas with a white polka dot print.

"Good morning! Where's Naruto?" Sakura's eyes shifted to the bedroom.

"He isn't awake yet. I touched his shoulder, but all he did was roll over."

"Oh, I can fix that." Still in her pink robe and with damp hair, Sakura waltzed over to Hinata and Naruto's bedroom door and walked right in. She saw a sleeping Naruto messily spread out on the bed, his legs tangled in the blanket. Sakura wasted no time in walking over to the bed and pulling the blanket away from him.

"Dobe! Naruto! Time to get up!" Sakura grabbed him by the arm and used just enough chakra infused in her hand to forcefully yank him off the bed altogether. He crashed into the floor with a bewildered look on his face. Before he hit the ground, he muttered, "Is it an ambush?" This display made Hinata giggle.

Naruto stood up and rubbed his arm. "Ow, Sakura! That wasn't necessary!"

"I do that all the time. We're just not on a mission right now. We're at the beach! Time to get moving. Hinata's coming with me and the girls. We're going shopping in town."

"Aw! A shopping trip? Why? Is that all you-"

"Naruto! Don't even think about finishing that sentence, or I'm going to hurt you so badly that even Hinata and I both won't have enough chakra to heal you." Sakura brought her balled fist tin front of her face to illustrate her point.

"That's rude. But she's right, Dobe. Come in here with me. And bring your bag." Sasuke was in the doorway, watching his two teammates bicker.

"Good idea. Let me bring my bags in here. Hinata and I can get ready in this room." Sakura went into the bedroom to retrieve the bags she'd need to get ready for her day. Naruto and Sasuke retreated to one room to get showered and dressed, while Sakura and Hinata holed themselves up in the other. But before Naruto closed the door, the girls heard him say, "Just wait, Teme. We'll both be showered and ready to go in less than an hour, but the girls won't be done yet."

"Ooh, I'm going to knock him so far out into the ocean that he'll be in international waters." Sakura balled her fist again.

"Oh, Sakura! I'm sure he was just kidding! Naruto likes to be funny. He loves making people laugh." Sakura lowered her fist, agreeing with her.

Almost an hour later, Sasuke and Naruto came downstairs to check on breakfast. They met Choji and Lee in the hallway. They gathered in the kitchen to see Shikamaru and Ino fully dressed and drinking coffee.

"Good morning! There's bacon and scrambled eggs still warming on the stove. There's a loaf of bread next to the toaster. Butter's in the fridge. So is orange juice and milk. Help yourselves!" Ino turned back to talk with her boyfriend.

"The sky is really pretty this morning! I bet it'll be a fun day at the beach! If no one's around, you guys could do a little small-time training."

"Nah. Too troublesome. I think I'm just going to relax and watch the sky."

Ino looked at him with exasperation written on her face.

"What?"

"You do that anyway!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked over to make himself some toast, vowing to go to the market and buy a pound of tomatoes.

Only about five minutes later, Sakura and Hinata walked down the stairs. Both girls had their hair pulled back in casual ponytails. They were both wearing casual tank tops. Hinata was wearing a solid black tank top with purple gym shorts and plain black sandals. Sakura was wearing a green tank top with a decorative black tree silhouette screenprint, a white casual skort and comfortable green flip flops. Both girls had causal shoulder bags for their shopping trip in town.

"Oh, Sakura! You look well-rested and youthful!" Lee stood up to greet his favorite pink-haired medic-nin.

"Oh, um. . .thank you, Lee." She looked at Lee's green-inspired outfit. "You loo nice, too." 'You look like a skinny frog. But you're so nice that I can't help but smile.'

"Girls. . .have you seen TenTen?" Ino noticed they lacked a couple of people. A certain couple.

"Oh!" Hinata's cheeks flushed.

"I'll go wake them up!"

Naruto bolted for the stairs, but most everyone in the kitchen simultaneously yelled, "No!"

"Okay, okay. Sheesh." Defeated, Naruto sat back down at his plate of bacon and eggs. Hinata made toast with jam and moved to sit next to him.

Sasuke walked up to Sakura's side while she began preparing to toast her own bread for breakfast. 'I need to seem helpful. She likes it when people help others. She loved how I carried her bags upstairs for her the other day.'

"I'm fixing myself a glass of orange juice. Do you want a glass?" Sasuke moved to the cabinet to pull down two glasses.

"Oh, sure, Actually, what about apple juice?" Sakura put her bread in the toaster and moved over to the fridge. She opened it up and pulled out the container of orange juice and a jug of cran-apple juice.

"Oh, cran-apple! I'd like a glass of that!" Hinata called out to her friend.

"Coming right up!" Sakura pulled out another couple of glasses.

"I want orange juice! Teme! You're closer!" Naruto seemed to either be thirsty and irritating by default or specifically out to irritate Sasuke. Possibly both.

"Hn. Dammit." Sasuke grabbed the container of orange juice and poured two glasses after he watched Sakura pour two glasses of cran-apple for herself and Hinata. She had already moved over to the breakfast nook to sit across from Naruto and Hinata. Ino was discussing where the girls would be shopping, since Hinata had never been to this town before.

*pop*

Sakura's toast popped up right then. Sasuke set the glasses of orange juice down. 'Perfect.' He picked up the toast and set it on a plate for her. He then spread butter on it. It began to melt immediately and smelled wonderful. He made it a priority to take it over to her himself.

"Here. Sakura." Sasuke looked pleased with himself.

"Oh! Is that butter? Oh, I don't put butter on bread. Why don't we make this toast yours? I can just make myself another one." Sakura moved the plate beside her, where she guessed he would be sitting in a minute. Sasuke looked humiliated and defeated. 'Well, damn. I tried.'

Sakura noticed he looked a little hurt. "After all, you have been waiting longer for your breakfast."

"I already ate." Sasuke did look downtrodden. But he sat down anyway. Sakura got up before he sat down and she opted for scrambled eggs and a muffin instead of more toast.

'Dammit. I don't think I've ever screwed up so badly. Even when I made bad decisions, at least I executed my actions with complete control. What the Hell am I doing? It's like I'm an inexperienced teenager!' Sasuke slid down so he was directly facing Naruto.

Sakura walked back over to the kitchen in time so see a perky and dressed up TenTen. She put her hair up in her usual buns. She was wearing a white cotton sundress with silver sandals. She was carrying a small blue messenger bag.

"Good morning, Sakura Blossom!" TenTen waltzed into the kitchen, cheery and starry-eyed. "When are we going shopping?" She reached over to the plate of leftover bacon that Naruto had already picked over and grabbed a few in her hand. She looked around, still waiting for a response from her girl pals. "Well?" She took a bite of one piece of bacon.

"You seem chipper today. I think we can leave now, since we're all here." Sakura tried to keep an inner smile in check, or else she'd be grinning like a fool. 'TenTen and Neji must have had a good time last night. She's glowing.' "You seem really happy."

"I am! We're at the beach!" TenTen looked to the stairs and saw Neji come into the area. He was wearing a gray tank top with the Hyuuga clan symbol in the center, black board shorts and plain black slip-on sneakers. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, with some wispy bangs hanging out. He was wearing a blue bandanna around his forehead to hide his mark that signifies his unhappy place in the Hyuuga clan. TenTen bounced over to her boyfriend and took his arm.

"Breakfast, Neji! We're going to go into town now. Don't miss me too much!" TenTen gave him a peck on the cheek and made her way over to where the other girls were gathering their purses and making their way to the door.

The girls then left in one solid sound of excitement and chattering.

"Wow. That was annoying." Shikamaru moved to stand, collecting some of the dishes from the table.

"You're telling me." Choji and Neji began to help clean up, and soon all the guys had pitched in to make the kitchen and breakfast nook spotless.

The boys assembled back in the living room.

"So, what do you guys want to do first, since the girls are gone?" Shikamaru was content just taking a towel out to the beach and taking a nap all day.

"We could get a head start and spend the morning out here at the beach. I seriously want to play volleyball! And there's that restaurant we really liked last time. We could grab lunch there, before the girls get back!" Naruto was already getting restless and overexcited.

"Yes, Naruto! Excellent idea! What an invigorating game for young men! Let's partake in the early part of the day and take full advantage!" Lee stood up and put his hands on his hips, completely confident that this was a wonderful use of their vacation time.

"Hn. Alright." Sasuke couldn't really care less. He wouldn't have minded the beach close to the house or the public beach, but he did enjoy the sand. . .as long as Gaara wasn't close.

"Chakra is banned from this game, Uchiha." Neji already knew that this game would get ugly very fast if these shinobi didn't lay down some ground rules beforehand.

"Well, let's grab the net and stuff. I'm gonna go grab some snacks, or else I'm sure I'm not gonna make it to lunchtime." Choji hurried back into the kitchen to see what he could pack, while the other guys shuffled around to prepare for a morning and afternoon at the beach.

* * *

Oh, what a cute dress, Hinata!"

"It'll look so good on you!"

"It was on sale? You're kidding!"

The four girls sat around the food court a couple of hours later, enjoying smoothies from one of the nearby stalls. They all had to show off their spoils, of course.

"What did you get in that shoe store, Ino?" TenTen was looking at all of Ino's bags, clearly outnumbering the other girls' purchases.

"Shoes!" She giggled, since it was an obvious answer. "These blue strappy sandals will go nicely with a white and turquoise sundress I brought with me. They look like they match perfectly! I found a bangle that I can wear with several outfits. . ."

Sakura couldn't listen. She was thinking about how awkward if felt waking up beside Sasuke this morning. She didn't remember changing into those pajamas. She didn't remember going to bed. She barely even remembered going upstairs at all. 'I hope I didn't embarrass myself!'

"Sakura? Hello? You there?" Ino waved a white napkin in front of Sakura's face to pull her back into reality. "Where'd you go there? I'm the only one at this table that can leaved their body, understand?"

"You look like you're thinking about something pretty complicated. Must be a boy." TenTen had a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Oh!" Hinata wanted to hear more!

"Hm. Who could it be? You weren't thinking about that handsome guy, were you? Wishing he was here with you right now? Wishing he could be here, drinking a smoothie with you?"

"Um. . .well. . ." Sakura immediately pictured Sasuke sitting at a table with her, drinking a strawberry banana smoothie. Well, he'd probably prefer a V8 smoothie or something with a good tomato taste. They could sit there, enjoying the unfamiliar townspeople and nice shopping. Sakura knew from missions that Sasuke enjoyed trying new restaurants. He appreciated fine dining. Which is why she knew that he was probably irritated that he didn't actually get to try the food at the new restaurant in Konoha. 'Karin ruined that for him. I wonder if he would have invited someone else to dinner with him if I wasn't already. . .Oh, my gosh! Kiba! I totally forgot about him! I haven't called since I've been here!'

"Oh, crap! I was going to call Kiba last night and forgot!" Sakura pulled out her cell phone and looked to see if she had received any messages from him. The other girls looked at each other in puzzlement.

"Uh, Sakura? If you weren't thinking about Kiba, then, who. . ." Ino was looking at the side of her friend's face as Sakura was peering down at the screen on her phone, trying to avoid any more embarrassment. But a blush slipped past to light up her cheeks. Now Ino knew something was up. "It wouldn't be your teammate, would it?" Inside, Ino's gears were turning. 'Time to enlist Naruto to make this happen. He was right. Sasuke wouldn't admit a damn thing before we got here, but I'm sure he likes Sakura. And now Sakura might have an epiphany of sorts.'

Of course, Hinata and TenTen both gasped when Ino mentioned Sasuke's name. TenTen already had an idea that the raven-haired guy and the pink-haired girl would be an ideal couple, but she never thought in a million years that they would develop mature, romantic feelings for each other. Sakura and Ino's school girl crushes wore off a while ago. And Sakura seemed to have been completely smitten by Kiba. "How could this be?"

Hinata, on the other hand. has been listening to Naruto's incoherent ramblings about the Teme and Sakura needing to have babies because they were perfect to repopulate the clan. Naruto failed to mention that either shinobi had feelings for the other. "Sakura, I'll support you if you feel strongly for Sasuke."

Sakura looked to her friends. Ino was smirking, Hinata was smiling, and TenTen looked confused. "Girls, I haven't said or done anything with Sasuke. I'm dating Kiba. I don't know why you'd think otherwise." 'Even if I'm thinking otherwise. But Sasuke isn't very considerate of other people's feelings. Why would he have the slightest concern for mine?'

Ino sighed. "If that's how you really feel, then do what feels right." 'It seems that I need to have a talk with the Uchiha. I want to know what happened last night. Sakura woke up in the bed with him, but I left her on the balcony. If he doesn't feel more than even compassion for putting her to bed, then I'd be more skeptical.'

* * *

_Flashback to last night, after everyone but a few boys went to bed:_

_Ino walked out of the master bedroom in her pajamas. She peeked in on some of the boys, who were still playing that game and drinking a little. She used the back stairs through the kitchen to go upstairs and check on Sakura. She didn't see her downstairs anymore, and she was hoping she could pull Sasuke away from the game and the other guys to at least talk with a more relaxed Sakura. With a little bit of liquid courage in both of them, a spark could have been ignited. Now a sleepy Sakura and a stubborn Sasuke doused her plan._

_Ino could see Naruto and Hinata's door was closed already, as was Neji and TenTen's. But Sakura and Sasuke's was still open. Ino walked in, but couldn't find Sakura. She poked her head around until she noticed the sliding glass door to the balcony was slightly ajar. She opened it a bit more to find a sleepy Sakura in one of the chairs._

_"Hey, girl. Are you ready to go shopping tomorrow? We can spend the rest of the day at the beach." Ino sat in the other chair. Both girls loved the nighttime smell of the beach and the sounds of the ocean._

_"I'm ready to shop, and I'm definitely ready for fun on the beach. I've been overloaded with stuff at the hospital. Tsunade put me in charge of trauma cases last week. And I don't mean trauma as in the severity of the wounds - those ninjas were traumatized and were hard to deal with. We had to knock them out of consciousness to even check their temperatures. They thought everyone was about to take control of their minds, for some reason. It must have something to do with whoever - or whatever - attacked them on their mission. It was exhausting, especially when one of them woke up and began choking poor Mizumi. It was her first day working on a touch patient. It was more than she bargained for." Sakura was really tired, and began drifting off. Her words were quite a bit slurred, and the last drink was about to hit her and drastically increase her BAC.  
_

_"That sounds like you really need to enjoy your vacation, huh? Well, we can make that happen. For now, just get some rest. Why don't you come to bed?"_

_"Actually, could you fish out my blanket from my bag? It helps me sleep if I have my own blanket from home. I'd rather sleep out here. It feels so good, and I feel so free when I can smell the ocean. I know I've escaped when I can feel this air and smell the ocean."_

_Ino smiled. "Sure." 'Now I feel pretty bad pushing her to Sasuke. He can't help ease her stress. He doesn't even like telling her anything nice. He's more of a burden on her, and is part of the reason why she's always so stressed. He won't let up on her. Even after all this time, he still puts her down at practices. He has no respect for others. What if he ends up hurting her again? What will Sakura do? If he loves her, will he take care of her needs?' Ino wrapped Sakura up in her own blanket and let her spend the night on the balcony. She then went back to bed with Shikamaru, where they were happy, relaxed and tangled up in each others' arms._


	17. A Proposal

The long-awaited next chapter! After a little bit of soul-searching, Sasuke has a proposition for Sakura. Will she take it? Is this just a path to disaster? This chapter has a safe rating, but a little foul language might be tossed in here. There's also a large amount of mushy romance.

* * *

The girls walked back up to the Naras' beach house, bags of loot littering their arms. 'It's a wonder we can walk at all!' Sakura definitely wondered how they even made it halfway back with the added weight. 'Maybe I can convince Kakashi-sensei how wonderful shopping sprees would be for resistance training!'

"Oh, my sore muscles." Ino stomped to the side door at the end of the walking path from the sidewalk and reached into her bag for her key. She unlocked the door and practically had to drag all of her bags in the doorway. The the three other ladies unceremoniously plopped their bags on a nearby sofa and began soothing their aching muscles.

"Hey, where are the guys?" TenTen noticed the quiet in the house.

"Oh, I think they're down on the beach. Naruto wanted to play volleyball today." Hinata took a moment to tie her hair back into a ponytail.

"What did you say? Shirtless men on the beach? And they're playing sports? Girls! Why aren't we in our bikinis yet?" Ino grabbed a few of her bags and rushed to the master bedroom to change, giving the girls a quick hint as to their plans for the rest of the afternoon. Hinata, TenTen and Sakura each hurried up the stairs to get ready for their first day at the beach.

"Girls, grab your stuff and come into my room. I wanna see! Oh, you'll both love my new swimsuit!" The chattering Hinata then disappeared behind her door.

Sakura went into her room to grab a few things. She previously made ready a separate straw bag with a few essentials packed and ready to go. Her kit included SPF 90 sunblock for her very fair skin, aloe lotion for soothing from the heat, a pink digital camera, a straw hat with a red ribbon and a big red flower, a beach towel with a beautiful pattern of none other than her signature sakura blossoms, and her MP3 player. She placed this bag on the edge of the bed and looked to her bags to gather her new swimsuit, favorite sunglasses, basic white sandals and white terry coverup and walked over to Hinata's room across the hallway.

Hinata was already in the bathroom, slipping on her swimsuit. "Is that you, Sakura? Go ahead and change! I'll just be a minute! Oh, I might need some help with this!"

TenTen had just walked into the room. "Hold on! I'll help!" TenTen stepped into the bathroom to assist her friend in properly putting on her new swimsuit. Sakura wasn't really needed, so she just decided this was leading to disaster and went back into her room to slip on her bikini while they fixed Hinata's swimsuit. Sakura threw her handful of items on the bed and began to disrobe. Sakura raised her tank top off her body, exposing her basic white bra. She then slipped her bottoms off, shaking her hips to help remove the clothing quickly. 'What was that?' Sakura turned around abruptly, towards the balcony.

* * *

Sasuke slipped into the house after he sensed the presence of the girls. He couldn't stop thinking about what Shikamaru had told him. He wanted to find Sakura and tell her they need to be together; he was sure of this. But he did have a little help coming to this conclusion. Whether Shikamaru was under the influence of his girlfriend's notion of kicking off a relationship between the two members of Team Seven wasn't really answered, because it was fairly obvious to any onlooker that everyone was thinking the same thing. But when you're living in your own little world and have boarded up the windows, like the Uchiha had, you might not have noticed these little things.

_Flashback to the past ten minutes of the boys being on the beach:_

_"Yeah!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air as the volleyball net was securely in place. Neji, Lee and Choji gathered around for a two-on-two battle. Shikamaru and Sasuke sat back, lounging in chairs not too close to the water. Shikamaru was gazing at the clouds, of course. Sasuke was listening to his MP3 player. He already knew he wasn't going to get any peace and quiet with the other guys playing roughly, but at least is was going to be amusing._

_"Sasuke, I have a question." Shikamaru kept his gaze on the early afternoon sky, but you could easily tell the genius was thinking. You could practically hear the gears turning in his head._

_"Hn." 'What the Hell does he want with me? A question?'_

_"Actually, I have a question I'd like to ask Ino." Shikamaru propped himself up on his elbows and now simply stared straight ahead. He still didn't make eye contact with Sasuke._

_"What is it?" 'Oh, shit. I think I know where this is going.'_

_"I talked this over with my parents, but I haven't asked Ino's yet. That bastard is going to invade my brain. I just know it. Well, the reason I wanted to come down here. . .was to ask Ino to marry me."_

_Sasuke sat, silently. But Shikamaru knew he was listening, and was just waiting for him to continue._

_"My mother gave me my grandmother's ring last week. She had it, so I had to go through her to get it. She's going to blow it for me if I mess this up now. She'll probably knock me upside my head, too. She's crazy. But my mission is for Ino to be wearing the ring on her finger before we return home."_

_"Hn. Why are you only telling me? Have you talked to your other teammate about this?" Sasuke looked to Choji. 'Surely he's clued him in on this.'_

_"Not yet. I need your help to carry out my plan. I know how I want to propose to her, but I'll need some help. I need a distraction. I'm telling you, it's hard hiding stuff from Ino. It's her job to be in people's business and get information any way possible. So she doesn't need to know that anything's up."_

_"Hn." 'She can try, but she isn't getting any information from me.' "What is the plan?" Sasuke now turned to face Shikamaru, waiting to hear what kind of plan the smart guy has concocted._

_"I'm going to try to surprise Ino with a moonlit dinner on the beach. I'm keeping it simple. I don't really think I have the energy or patience to do much more than that, but it'll mean a lot to her. I need to keep the dumbasses away, and the girls can't find out. They'll squeal. Even if they don't, they'll act differently around Ino. Ino will know something is up."_

_"So you told me so I could diffuse any situation that might occur."_

_"Yes."_

_"What about the dinner? Who's doing the work for that?"_

_"Well, that's taken care of. I'm going to have it set up already. I'll ask Choji and Lee to set up one of the round party tables from storage. My mom has nice linens in one of the closets in here, so I'll find one to drape over it. We have several taper candles to have decorations or whatever. I'll just have one of the guys set out some nice china, too. The food's going to be catered. I can bribe the rest of you with dinner at one of the restaurants downtown. We'll probably want all of you to get lost. No spying."_

_'For something so simple, it seems pretty complicated.' "So you've thought about this before."_

_"Yeah. It's my job to plan good strategies. I'm pretty sure Ino will say yes immediately, but I still want to make it special for us. I know I'm pretty worthless sometimes, but Ino's the one for me. If it involves her, then the extra effort is worth it."_

_"Hn." 'I think I need to give a little extra effort with me and Sakura. My past attempts failed.'_

_"So. . .I've gotta ask. Is there something going on between you and Sakura?"_

_Sasuke bolted up, shocked that someone would presume such a thing. But he remained cool and calm on his exterior. "What? What do you mean?"_

_Shikamaru noticed the Uchiha was shaken up a little by his question. "I know she's supposed to be dating Kiba, but they haven't really been seeing much of each other. I don't know if Sakura's too interested in him. I think she's just waiting for something else." 'Or for someone else.'_

_"Hn. They seem fine to me, but I haven't been paying attention." 'That's a lie. I've been watching those two. She really does seem into him, though. Shikamaru's wrong about that.'_

_"Ino told me."_

_"Goddamn it." Sasuke brought his hand up to comb his fingers through his midnight locks. "She's wrong."_

_"Then why do you seem so flustered?" Shikamaru wanted Sasuke to know he realizes the stupid boy is lying. "Everyone thinks she still has feelings for you. She just hid them. That silly schoolgirl crush transformed into something else a long time ago, even before you left. You must've been able to tell it was different. Ino had a crush on you, too. She doesn't even look at you in that way. Even before we started dating, Ino just grew out of that phase. But Sakura didn't have a crush on you; she had feelings for you. You lost those who loved you, and she has lost loves ones through the years. We all experience the pain of losing someone close to us." Shikamaru paused, memories of Asuma rolling though his mind. 'I wish he could be here for me and Ino.'_

_"Look, Shikamaru, I . . ."_

_"I don't think you're listening. We don't live forever. People in our line of business know that. After your experiences, you should be especially sensitive to the topic. We're constantly dealing with a lot of bad things that come our way. So when something so good comes around, you shouldn't ever let it pass by. You're neglecting possibly one of the greatest things of your life. You lost your family. Sakura and Naruto were like a new family to you. But Sakura can also begin the new lineage. And all that love that you thought was stolen from you was waiting for a very long time for you to return. You just couldn't see it. You were blinded by hatred and revenge. You made a classic mistake, my friend. Sakura loves you. It's deep down inside her. You just have to find it. But before you can, you'll need to find that part in you. You can't go in this half-cocked. You need to be ready to finally make a commitment. Make up your mind. You can stay lonely and miserable, or you can finally embrace the ones that love you. Don't be a fool."_

_Sasuke was speechless. 'Holy crap, This kid really is a genius.' It took Sasuke a few minutes to find his voice. Inside that handsome exterior, his head was swirling. 'I have to try to maintain control.'_

_"So. . .Sakura still loves me?" 'Dammit. That sounded like I had no control.'_

_"Dude. It's obvious. She cares deeply for all her teammates. But she never had romantic feelings for anyone but you. I don't know how serious it is with her and Kiba, but I don't think he compares to what you and Sakura could share. You need to tell her how you feel."_

_"Who says I feel anything for her?" Sasuke was still holding back._

_"It's written on your face. You care for Sakura. It might have taken you a while to figure it out, but I think you have for a long time. You tried your best a few times to cut her off - to get rid of all of us - but your memory was only assisting your heart. You tried to forget. You were very foolish."_

_Sasuke sighed. Shikamaru was right, and there was really no point in arguing with him about it. As much as Sasuke hated being talked down to like this, he knew he would be a fool not to take Shikamaru's advice. He and Ino are in love and are very happy being with each other. Why can't he and Sakura have a great relationship? Sakura is a very beautiful young woman, and she isn't going to stay on the market for forever. She is undoubtedly the best candidate for a new Uchiha matriarch. Sasuke is somehow compelled by other reasons, though. There's something deep down inside that makes him believe Sakura is the only woman who he would want to have his children. 'I don't want another woman. I want Sakura. I want. . .Sakura to love me. Shit. I think I do love her.'_

_"Shit. Shikamaru, I think I need to go lie down."_

_"You are lying down." Shikamaru looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. 'Maybe I fed him too much information.'_

_"Yeah, but I think I need to get out of the sun. Just get the other guys together and talk about your plans with Ino, and-"_

_"What plans?" Naruto popped up beside Sasuke. He and the other guys decided to take a break from their invigorating game with no score whatsoever. "Teme, are you and Shika planning something?"_

_Sasuke sighed. "I'll leave you to it, Nara." That said, Sasuke walked back up towards the house with a foggy head and a heavy heart. Sasuke was too confused to realize he's begun to actually feel that heart again. It throbs every time he even thinks about the pink-haired girl. 'I love Sakura. I love her. Holy shit, I love her. It makes sense, I guess. I can't keep my eyes off of her. I wake up in the morning and I want to see her. I want to see her next to me, to smell her hair and skin, and to feel her arms on me. She's mine, and I'm so close to losing her. What if I've already lost her? Shit. I need to see her.'_

_Sasuke walked up the path towards the back patio door, close to the kitchen area. He could sense the girls' presence, notably Sakura's chakra presence, and quickly masked himself to come in undetected. He heard the girls chatting in the living room, so he hastily flew up the back staircase and towards his bedroom. 'Maybe I can grab her and talk to her in private.'_

_Soon enough, he heard some of the girls coming down the hallway. He heard Hinata with an excited tone, discussing her swimsuit. 'I hope she doesn't give Dobe a heart attack.' He slid open the balcony's glass door and stepped out. He could hear the guys down at the beach, but they were still a few hundred yards away. It would take more distance than that to drown out Naruto's booming voice. But as soon as he stepped out onto the balcony, he heard his bedroom door fly open. He could see her through the sheer curtains. Sakura picked up a pink straw tote, which he assumed had items she'd take to the beach. She placed it on the bed while she dug through one of her luggage bags for a swimsuit and other things. He saw white material and sunglasses. She stood back up quickly, so Sasuke quickly stepped back so he wouldn't be detected. 'Wait a minute, I'm not spying on her; I need to talk to her.' Sasuke confidently stepped back into the room, but Sakura was nowhere to be found. Her bag was still sitting on the bed, but now he could hear her with the other girls in Hinata and Naruto's room. 'That's just fucking great.'_

_As he stepped back out onto the balcony to plan his next move, he heard someone creep back into his room. 'What he Hell are they doing?' It was Sakura again. This time, she closed the door. She threw her armful of items onto the bed with the bag and moved her hands to hastily pull off her tank top. Sasuke's jaw dropped. Visions of the night before danced through his head. 'She doesn't remember last night, but I sure as Hell do.' Sakura stood there in a white bra, her fingers dancing over the waistband to her bottoms. She pulled them down slightly, shaking her hips to help them go down. Sasuke's hand flew up to his nose, knowing that his nose was about to start bleeding again. His hand made a slapping noise over his face, and Sasuke's eye immediately closed in frustration. 'Shit. I bet she heard that.' Sasuke knew she must've found out someone was in there with her, so he decided to go ahead and step back into the room._

* * *

Sakura turned towards the balcony, shocked and embarrassed. '"Sasuke! What-"

"Sakura, I need to talk to you. I have some things I need to tell you."

Sakura paused, a little confused. "What?" Sakura walked over to the bathroom door to find her robe hanging on a hook on the back of the door. She quickly grabbed the robe off its hook ad slipped it on before turning around to face Sasuke. Not surprisingly, the second she turned around, she was face-to-face with the Uchiha. Only a little startled,Sakura managed to keep her footing. She was more than a little pissed off by his voyeurism and lack of decency, so she was more than ready to give her naughty-yet-handsome teammate a piece of her mind. She already had her fists balled up at her side, clenching and unclenching in a tight grip. 'Oh, I just hope he bets that I'm still weak. I'll knock this bastard senseless.'

"Sasuke, what the Hell are you thinking? I have a mind to sl-" Sakura was interrupted.

What interrupted her was quite a shock to her. Sasuke wasn't about to get a word in edgewise, so he decided an alternate approach to his situation. He grabbed her arm and leaned down to forcefully take her lips with his. For several seconds, Sasuke managed to surprise her and keep her quiet. When he pulled away, the shock on the kunoichi's face was quite obvious. Sasuke couldn't help but show one of his famous smirks. The side of his mouth curled up, and Sakura couldn't miss the handsome face that stood before her.

"Sasuke, wha. . .what. .was that about?" They had only kissed for a handful of seconds, but Sakura's breathing and speech was labored enough to think she had her breath taken away. But the poor girl was a lot more than a little confused at this point.

"I wanted to tell you something. Last night. . .we had a moment. I think I waited too long to tell you something. If I wait anymore, I might not ever get a chance to telly you again. I. . ." he sighed and let go of Sakura's arm. She stepped back, but still stood in front of him and continued to face him. By now, she was still very confused, but most of the shock had left her face and she was looking at him with a softer appearance. She could see emotions in his eyes, which was very much out of character for Sasuke. She knew he must be trying to tell her something important, and she knew the situation shouldn't be taken so lightly.

"What is it, Sasuke?" She kept her eyes focused on his face, looking for answers.

A knock came at the door. "Sakura! You ready yet?" Hinata was ready to go, and was a little curious why it was taking Sakura so long to change into her bikini.

"Oh! Almost! I'll just meet you out there, okay?" Sakura talked loud enough to be heard clearly on the other side of the door.

"Is everything alright?" TenTen was curious, too.

"Yeah! I'll just be a minute!" Sakura tried her best to sound cheery, calming the girls' fears. She heard the girls walking down the stairs and knew they were finally heading out to the beach.

Sasuke sighed again and moved towards the bed. He sat down on the edge and hung his head low. If it were anyone other than one of his teammates, he wouldn't be showing such a defeated attitude. But he's been through too much and needed Sakura too badly at this point to play games.

"Sakura, I'm not much of a guy to be trusted. I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't trust me at all now. But. . .I'm a part of your team. and I do trust you."

Sakura was even more confused than ever. She moved to sit by Sasuke by the bed. He didn't dare make eye contact with her, or else he'd lose his train of thought and his courage.

"Sakura, I've realized that. . I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life. I haven't let too many people come close to me, but I just couldn't seem to shake you and Naruto off me. I thought that my heart was lost a long time ago. But you and Naruto found it, and never let it go."

Sakura couldn't believe Sasuke was speaking like this. She took his right hand in both of hers and looked up at him, bringing his eyes over to hers. His eyes held more emotions than ever before. She couldn't read too much, but there was sadness, a part that she knew would be in there. A little bit of fear was pretty new, but there was something else. Something she saw back at Ino's house with their moment in the bathroom.

"It's okay, Sasuke. We know about your past. You had a lot to deal with. We couldn't even begin to compare our troubles and losses with the hardships you've had to deal with. It's more than enough hurt to last ten lifetimes. But I think you need to give the alternative a try. There's a lot of good in the world. You turned your back on it, but you came back. You came back to us."

"I came back to you." Sasuke kept looking into SAkura's eyes as those gorgeous green orbs widened.

"What. . .do you mean, Sasuke?"

He really did like the way his name rolled off her tongue. It was as smooth as silk. Her more mature voice was very comforting to him. He found it relaxing. She was always supportive, though they seemed to butt heads a lot. Sakura just always wanted to let him know that she certainly wasn't weak.

"I always pushed you away because I never wanted you to get hurt. But I've hurt you so many times that it seems pathetic to even mention how many times I've tried to keep you out of harm's way. I _was _the danger in your life. I lost my head. I lost what should have been more important to me. All I could think about was revenge. I got that wrong, and regretted it. But even oafter that, I still got it all wrong."

Sakura wanted to tell him so many things. She wanted to tell him how angry she was. She wanted him to know how sad he made her. She was miserable for that entire time. It was pitiful how she tried to trail off after him. She and Naruto tried their best to find him and bring him back home. 'Why didn't he realize how much we cared about him? He had us to come back to.'

"Sasuke, there's something I should've told you a long time ago. You messed up. Bad. After I was filled in on all the details, I still just couldn't understand how you could've gotten the wrong idea. You followed the wrong path."

"What?" 'What is she trying to say?'

"I just couldn't understand. You felt that it was your duty to find and kill Itachi. But when you finally did, you soon found out that your family happened to be power-hungry and intended to betray and destroy Konoha."

"Hn." Sasuke didn't like where this was going.

"You found that, in order to protect ourselves and all the innocent people of the village, Konoha enlisted the help of your brother to wipe out the clan. I don't think it was the village's decision to literally wipe out the clan. I'm pretty sure that had something to do with Madara's plans."

Sakue just remained quiet and very still. But at the mention of Madara's name, he took his hand out of Sakura's grip and turned his body slightly away from her. He was bottling himself up again.

"Saskue, please don't be like that."

"I wasn't like that a few minutes ago."

"But I want you to hear this so you know what I've felt."

Sasuke remained quiet, enabling Sakura to continue.

She sighed before continuing. "But after you discovered Itachi's intentions, you decided the next course of action was to destroy the village yourself. Your brother did what he did in order to protect the village. And to protect you. And to stop his clan from becoming drunk with power destroying Konoha. Your course of action to seek revenge for your brother was to turn around and destroy the very thing he wanted to protect. And all this time, we were waiting for you to come to your senses and come back to us. No one could love you more than us. We waited a very long time. And I'm very glad that you finally came home."

Sasuke's heart sunk into his stomach. It was very heavy. He knew that he ended up doing more harm than good. But he came home to clear his mind and to move on. Madara was dead, and his clan now had the time to rebuild. He wanted to start a family one day. He wanted Sakura now.

"I realize everything you've said. That's why I came home. I couldn't destroy my home and the people I care for." Sasuke now took one of Sakura's hands in his. "I want you to know now that I care deeply for you, and I don't want anything to happen to you. I want to be there for you. And I want you by my side."

Sakura's head was spinning. Her head couldn't have been foggier if she was drunk. "Sasuke, I. . .I am. I'm by your side on the battlefield. I'm your teammate, and I always will be."

"No, Sakura. I'm not talking about battle. I'm not talking about the team. I'm not talking about Kakashi and Naruto. I'm talking about you and me."

"Sasuke-"

"I want there to be a you and me. I've been thinking about this for some time now. I have feelings for you. I can't feel like this about anyone else. And I don't want you. I just want you."

"Sasuke." Sakura had no idea what was going on. Had Sasuke talked like this a few weeks ago, she could have died a very happy young woman. But now that she's with Kiba. . .oh, shit.

"I know you're thinking about someone else." He wasn't stupid. "But he isn't here right now. All I'm asking for is consideration. Just be with me this week. Our friends will never let anything leave our circle."

"What are you asking of me?"

"I'm asking you to try this with me. Just for this week. Neither of us can move on if we don't know how we feel about each other. I'm just starting to feel something again, and it was all because of you. I'm saddened that I might be too late."

"You are. I'm with someone else."

"That's not what I'm asking. I just want a brief period. I'm not asking you to break off anything else. He'll never know, and we'll finally get to see if we could work together. I want this, and I think you do, too."

"Sasuke, what makes you think I have any romantic feelings towards you anymore?"

"I can see it, Sakura. I know that you want to know, too."

Sakura wasn't sure what was going on. "Sasuke, what is this? You want to pretend to be dating?"

"If that works for you. Or we could keep it quiet, even with our friends. You can pull the plug on it anytime you see fit."

Sakura knew she might still feel something for Sasuke. But this wasn't just some kind of one-time fling he was asking for; she knew that much. He wanted to know if something could be rekindled between them, with both of them in the relationship together. But what about Kiba? He's the perfect guy! If this doesn't work out, how would she explain this to him? And what if it does? She would have to break things off with Kiba. Sakura wasn't sure if she even wanted to do that. But she couldn't commit to Kiba without knowing whow she feels about Sasuke. Did she still love him?

"Okay, Sasuke. I think this might be our best option." Sakura took her hand away from his grip to stand up. She moved directly in front of him and looked down on his face.

Sasuke was a little shocked, but quite a bit relieved. He knew this could have backfired and embarrassed him to no end. Not to mention this would be a complete letdown and a train wreck for his delicate emotions. He's lucky he has these emotions at all.

Sasuke's hands came up to wrap around Sakura's waist. She let him. He pulled her gently towards him, relieved and actually a little happy. He wanted her to know how she made him felt. He needed to show her he can feel. It was because of her that he could feel anything good again, and he didn't want those feelings to go away. Sasuke leaned forward and buried his face in Sakura's robe. Sakura sighed contentedly at Sasuke's actions. She brought her right arm up to thread her fingers in his hair and began soothingly rubbing his head. Sasuke groaned a little, barely audible for Sakura to her. But she heard it. Sasuke's grip on Sakura's waist grew tighter in his left arm, while his right arm moved to caress her side. Sakura gave in and leaned into Sasuke. He allowed them both to fall backwards onto the bed, with Sakura falling directly on top of him. Sakura's head found its place under his chin, almost on his shoulder. Sasuke kept his arms around her waist, holding her to him and not willing to loosen at all. He was almost afraid of letting her go. He didn't want her to change her mind at the last minute. Sakura's arm hooked around Sasuke's shoulder, content just to have a soft grip on him. Her other hand found its way onto the sheets. They stayed in a relaxed position with each other until Sasuke could feel Sakura's breathing even out. She fell asleep in his arms. Sasuke felt like he was in love already. He didn't know what was going to happen to him if Sakura pulled the plug on them, but he was going to do everything possible to keep that from happening.

* * *

"Hey, handsome!" Ino bounced over to take the empty lounge chair next to her boyfriend. Ino was wearing a turquoise bikini with white lace trim. She had sunglasses sitting on top of her head, with her long blond hair tied into a swinging ponytail. Shikamaru couldn't help but catch a glimmer of a silver anklet on his girlfriend's leg. He bought her that anklet for her last birthday. On one side of the silver heart charm was an engraved cherished message. 'I'm planning on giving her a much nicer piece of jewelry. Giving her that anklet was a lot less nerve-wracking, though. Troublesome.'

"You're so troublesome." Shikamaru moved to put his arms behind his head as he looked a the sky again.

"Yeah, but you love me." Ino laid back on the lounge chair to join her boyfriend in whatever he was doing. She didn't mind being lazy, as long as she could share the moment with him.

"Tch. You already know that." Shikamaru turned a little red in his face, a slight blush tinging his cheeks. It was kind of embarrassing, but he didn't mind letting Ino know he loved her.

"Where's Sasuke?" Ino looked around, but noticed the Uchiha was missing.

"He went inside a while ago. He must be with Sakura." Shikamaru didn't fail to notice Sakura didn't come out with the girls. He looked over to see Hinata's yellow bikini with corset-like straps in the back that gave Naruto a nosebleed. She was tending to his nose with tissues. Neji was busy trying to cover TenTen up. She had her brunette hair pulled back into one simple bun with purple ribbon. Her swimsuit was white with a purple flower print, and it must have been a bit too revealing for Neji to feel comfortable around still-single Lee and Choji.

Ino's gears began turning in her head again. "Is that right?"

"He's in love with her, you know."

"Oh, I know." Ino let out an evil cackle. She was being devious again.

"You won't have to interfere with this one, Ino."

"Huh?" Ino was let down a little bit. 'What is he talking about? I always interfere!'

"I think there's already a little something going on between them."

"What! No way!"

"Yep." Shikamaru groaned and rolled onto his side to face her. "Sasuke has been trying to get Sakura's attention for a little while now. He even tried to be helpful to her this morning at breakfast. She didn't seem to notice him, though."

"Stupid forehead-girl."

"I think Sasuke is figuring out that Sakura happens to be a big part of his life. His emotions were just shut out; they never really went anywhere. If anyone was to get him to be happy agian, Sakura would have to be the one."

"Aw. Now I feel bad for getting Sakura to go out with Kiba."

"Huh?"

"Nothing!"

"You set that up? You could've just tried to set her up with Sasuke."

"I thought. . .well, I thought he wasn't interested. But Naruto came to me when we were planning his first date with Hinata. It was a complete shock to me. I didn't think Sasuke would ever be in love with anyone."

"Ah, so much trouble! Just. . .take a breather from this one, Ino. This hookup won't need any more meddling. It might only lead to more trouble. You might mess it up."

"What? No, I won't!"

"Actually, I was hoping that we'd be able to go out to dinner tonight."

"Wait. What?"

"Dinner. Just you and me." Shikamaru kept a straight face, but his heart was racing.

"Really? Okay. Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. But it's a nice restaurant. I'll wear something nice, too."

"That means I'll have to pick out an outfit for you."

"Ugh. Troublesome." Shikamaru's plan was already in action. He looked over to the guys, who were in on it by this time. Knowing his plan was perfect, as always, he leaned back and closed his eyes.


End file.
